: a deep or precipitous cleft : ravine
especially : one occupied by a torrent

Examples of gulch in a Sentence

the gulch floods in the spring with the runoff from the mountains, so wait until later in the summer to hike it
Recent Examples on the Web The Owyhee Canyonlands, with stunning red gulches, winding rivers and a moon-like landscape where a volcano with a caldera once 600 times larger than Mount St. Helens erupted, stands as the largest unprotected wilderness area in the American West. Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 23 May 2024 The gulch and the forest around it became a bonfire pit waiting for a spark. Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2024 But years of deforestation and the introduction of invasive species such as black wattle and eucalyptus radically changed the area around the gulch. Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2024 The book is written in the second person, addressing the protagonist’s daughter, a decision that imparts a desire for understanding, to cross the gulch that has opened between them. Naomi Huffman, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for gulch 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gulch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

perhaps from English dialect gulch to gulp, from Middle English gulchen

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gulch was in 1832

Dictionary Entries Near gulch

Cite this Entry

“Gulch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gulch. Accessed 18 Sep. 2024.

Kids Definition

gulch

noun
: ravine

More from Merriam-Webster on gulch

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