canyon

noun

can·​yon ˈkan-yən 

variants or less commonly cañon

1

: a deep narrow valley with steep sides and often with a stream flowing through it

2

: something resembling a canyon

the city's concrete canyons

Synonyms of canyon

• ravine
• gorge
• valley

Examples of canyon in a Sentence

as the scouts made their way through the canyon, they marveled at the sheer walls of rock on both sides

Recent Examples on the Web

But the geographical distance is small compared to the geopolitical canyon the Games hope to bridge. —Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026

The area is rugged in places, with rocky slopes, narrow canyons and desert vegetation like creosote, palo verde, mesquite, cholla cactus and bunch grasses. —Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 6 Feb. 2026

The world-class 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Course, with its scenic vistas of canyons and cliffs, is a showpiece within Red Ledges. —Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 4 Feb. 2026

Fans latched onto his overdrive vocal style, which sounded like bellows across canyons and fused trap elements into reggaeton. —Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

American Spanish cañón, probably alteration of obsolete Spanish callón, augmentative of calle street, from Latin callis footpath

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for canyon

• anion
• banyan
• carbanion
• companion

Kids Definition

canyon

noun

can·​yon

variants also cañon

ˈkan-yən

: a deep narrow valley with steep sides and often with a stream flowing through it