rift valley

Definition of rift valleynext

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 rift valley If the two plates keep moving apart, then eventually the Arabian Sea and rift valley will become a new ocean. Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 24 Nov. 2025 The high plain ran to the rift valley and the Rio Grande, which flows all the way to Mexico. Michael Paterniti, Travel + Leisure, 14 Nov. 2025 The rift valleys of East Africa are some of the largest and most spectacular topographic features on Earth. David Bressan, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025 There is a rift valley on the Rio Grande in the desert of New Mexico where an award-winning home sits. Jennifer Castenson, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024 Rather than having a central volcano, the Reykjanes Peninsula is dominated by a rift valley with lava fields and cones. Alexandra Banner, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024 Baringo is a county based within Kenya’s rift valley, which, according to Buret, experiences unnoticeable tectonic earth movement daily. Faustine Ngila, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2023 Valles Marineris is thought to be a rift valley, formed by uplift when hot material from the Mars's mantle bubbled up and stretched the planet's crust. Discover Magazine, 20 Oct. 2010
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rift valley
Noun
  • Nicole Crosby, a deputy city attorney who lives in Clairemont, said bike lanes don’t make a lot of sense in communities like Clairemont where hills and canyons are a major challenge.
    David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026
  • Upper canyons and higher elevations are blooming through March.
    Cierra Morgan, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • In less than an hour, the scenery changes from beach to river gorge to mountain terrain, showing a side of Dalmatia beyond the islands.
    Jason Phillips, USA Today, 4 Mar. 2026
  • The gorge acts as a natural channel funneling through rain runoff often creating an intriguing mix of wildflowers.
    Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 21 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Farther up the gulch, the water formed a pool, which gave off a rank chemical smell.
    Nick Bowlin, ProPublica, 29 Oct. 2025
  • There were more creeks, high hills, big parks, passes, and open mountainsides with broken, timbered canyons and gulches.
    Fred C. Mercer, Outdoor Life, 14 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • When camping in an open environment, select a campsite in a valley, ravine, or low region.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 8 Mar. 2026
  • On Sunday, temperatures are expected to rise to near 90 degrees in the warmer valley areas, and the 80s in many other areas, according to the National Weather Service.
    City News Service, Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • When camping in an open environment, select a campsite in a valley, ravine, or low region.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 8 Mar. 2026
  • If reaching a safe shelter is not possible, either crouch down in your car and shield your head, or leave your vehicle and find shelter in a ditch or ravine.
    KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Her mother, Marlene LaMar, who had helped organize hundreds of volunteers for years to search through fields and gullies after Sierra vanished in 2012, said Saturday she was too devastated to speak about the ruling.
    Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 1 Mar. 2026
  • The rupture occurred near where the tunnel connects to the 15-foot-diameter penstock, sending a gully of water down both sides of the 1-mile pipeline leading to the powerhouse.
    Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Studies have shown a correlation between heavy digital dependence and mental health challenges including depression, anxiety and stress.
    Karen Garcia, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026
  • People seeking support often present with overlapping challenges such as anxiety, OCD, depression, trauma histories, chronic stress or relationship difficulties.
    Gwilym Roddick, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Her outfit stayed inside Browne’s gray suit vocabulary, layering a glen-check blazer with strong shoulders layered over a matching waist panel and pleated detail at the hip, finished with the brand’s red-white-blue grosgrain tab at the hem.
    Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 7 Feb. 2026
  • This is also what allows what’s outside its doorstep to take precedence: the soul-stirring glens, spirit-rejuvenating streams, and craggy peaks of Cairngorms National Park.
    Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Jan. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rift valley.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rift%20valley. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on rift valley

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster