as in canyon
a narrow opening between hillsides or mountains that can be used for passage
at one point the steep, ice-encrusted walls of the couloir are no more than 50 feet apart
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of couloir
Many skiers argue over the final number of chutes, since the book often describes areas that are home to multiple couloirs.
—
Jake Stern, Outside Online, 25 Apr. 2025
Many of these ski lines are clustered in the same drainages, but while in years past Noyes has been able to complete multiple descents in a day, this year, the hot April sun shortened the windows during which those couloirs would be safe from wet avalanches.
—Jake Stern, Outside Online, 25 Apr. 2025
The group going above the hut to the right will gain a high ridge and continue up the adjacent alpine valley to ski Groove Tube, a beautiful couloir with a wide apron below a prominent peak called La Clytte.
—Jesse James McTigue, Outside Online, 20 Mar. 2025
For more than eight hours, rescuers worked to reach the hikers and lower them from the couloir.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 27 May 2024
While the walls of the steep, narrowing gully quickly rise to more than 100 feet on either side and the couloir is large enough to be rippled with a few ski lines, a snowball tossed from the top can nearly reach the bottom of the gully and the creek that drains it in winter.
—Christopher Solomon, Outside Online, 22 Mar. 2018
In August, 21-year-old Jadyn Weiss fell 300 feet to her death while descending a steep mountain gully known as the Flying Dutchman couloir.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 2 Oct. 2023
That includes backcountry boarding and skiing with friends, ice climbing, snowshoeing, hiking and climbing couloirs.
—Chris Meehan, Popular Mechanics, 27 Feb. 2023
Rivulets and rocks made the couloir treacherous.
—Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2023
Jake Stern, Outside Online, 25 Apr. 2025
Many of these ski lines are clustered in the same drainages, but while in years past Noyes has been able to complete multiple descents in a day, this year, the hot April sun shortened the windows during which those couloirs would be safe from wet avalanches.
—Jake Stern, Outside Online, 25 Apr. 2025
The group going above the hut to the right will gain a high ridge and continue up the adjacent alpine valley to ski Groove Tube, a beautiful couloir with a wide apron below a prominent peak called La Clytte.
—Jesse James McTigue, Outside Online, 20 Mar. 2025
For more than eight hours, rescuers worked to reach the hikers and lower them from the couloir.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 27 May 2024
While the walls of the steep, narrowing gully quickly rise to more than 100 feet on either side and the couloir is large enough to be rippled with a few ski lines, a snowball tossed from the top can nearly reach the bottom of the gully and the creek that drains it in winter.
—Christopher Solomon, Outside Online, 22 Mar. 2018
In August, 21-year-old Jadyn Weiss fell 300 feet to her death while descending a steep mountain gully known as the Flying Dutchman couloir.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 2 Oct. 2023
That includes backcountry boarding and skiing with friends, ice climbing, snowshoeing, hiking and climbing couloirs.
—Chris Meehan, Popular Mechanics, 27 Feb. 2023
Rivulets and rocks made the couloir treacherous.
—Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for couloir
Noun
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The route includes many iconic Romanesque churches and beautiful landscapes, including the Rio Dulce natural park, and the canyon of Caracena.—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2025
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On the night of the shooting, officers arrived at the scene of the call and found Rasmussen shot in the torso and lying in a nearby canyon, Provence said.—
Caleb Lunetta,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 June 2025
Noun
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When camping in an open environment, select a campsite in a valley, ravine, or low region.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
20 June 2025
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Intense rainfall, as common in tropical latitudes, and water vapor in the eruption column can mix with volcanic ash and debris, forming deadly mudflows called lahars by geologists after an Indonesian word for ravines on the slopes of a volcano.—
David Bressan,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Noun
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The lovely gorge setting makes Screw Auger a popular place to visit in the summer.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
3 June 2025
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There are also a number of other waterfalls—including Cane Creek Falls and Piney Falls—as well as streams, gorges, and dense forests.—
Lydia Mansel,
Southern Living,
29 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Couloir.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/couloir. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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