coulee

noun

Definition of couleenext
as in arroyo

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of coulee Unlike most of the relatively flat Dakota prairie, the Missouri breaks that make up much of Sutton Bay’s landscape create an assortment of coulees with cattail bottoms, perfect lairs to hide the shifty late-season pheasants. — Chris Dorsey, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024 Atop that mesa, hidden in a sandstone coulee, our campfire burned a hole in the darkness. — Outdoor Life, 6 Nov. 2020 Sagebrush steppes are cracked by muddy coulees hiding pines where the spring snow lingers. — Christopher Preston, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2020 Another Chilean volcano with impressive coulees is Aucanquilcha (see above), near the Chilean-Bolivian border. — Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 31 Mar. 2010
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coulee
  1. arroyo
  2. canyon
  3. gully
  4. ravine
  5. trench
  6. gulch
  7. wadi
  8. gorge
Noun
  • Grassroots organizers also say the first wave of notices did not reach many residents who live on one side of the arroyo and were distributed only in English.
    — Mack Baysinger Follow, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2026
  • Her soon-to-be husband waited for her where the arroyo opened to the road.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Definition of arroyo
Noun
  • The hikers made it to Horse Camp, a popular staging area, but couldn’t find the trail and traveled down a steep, dry river canyon.
    — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The area is sparsely populated with private estates set atop hills or within canyons, making firefighting access difficult.
    — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of canyon
Noun
  • There were large puddles of waste around the camp and in the gullies between tents.
    — Ben Taub, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Reaching Gary Grabowske’s land requires grinding along rocky mountain trails and through gullies carved by flash floods.
    — Rebecca Santana, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of gully
Noun
  • Killing a Bear Movistar Plus, Arte France In 2020, Cachou, a brown bear, is found dead in a ravine, sparking a criminal investigation.
    — Emiliano de Pablos, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • The standout among the entertaining spaces is the baby-blue kitchen, which extends from the rear of the home into a rounded turret overlooking a ravine.
    — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of ravine
Noun
  • Sharp suits and smoking jackets came alongside cocoon shapes, functional hunting jackets, double-breasted trenches and generous winter coats, with longer lengths and full collars suggesting the urban style of the 1980s and ’90s.
    — Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Oversized bombers and close-fitting cropped styles mingle with polished trenches, slouchy anoraks, and classic motos.
    — Christina Holevas, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of trench
Noun
  • Plastic waste flutters and settles into gulches, catches in the fencing.
    — Cristina Dorador, The Dial, 14 July 2026
  • Head right, and there came public land, the Shasta-Trinity National Forest with its creeks and gulches and two-bit towns like Peanut and Beegum.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 June 2026
Definition of gulch
Noun
  • Within hours the settlers had created a new outpost in the wadi some two hundred to three hundred meters away from those houses.
    — David Shulman, The New York Review of Books, 26 Aug. 2026
  • On the way to the wadi, visitors can detour to the ruins of the frankincense capital of Samharam or drive up Jebel Samhan for a view of the clouds and a Baobao forest.
    — Anna Zacharias, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Jan. 2026
Definition of wadi
Noun
  • The Ivy League college where fraternities throw parties in towering mansions and students weave between deep gorges on their way to class is being rocked over the handling of rape allegations from 2024.
    — Grey Battle, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Within the town, the Victoria Falls Hotel is an old favorite, with 149 rooms and dramatic views of the rocky gorge (doubles from $760).
    — Charukesi Ramadurai, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of gorge

Browse Nearby Words

cough up
coulee
coulees
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Cite this Entry

“Coulee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coulee. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about coulee

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