rift valley

noun

Definition of rift valleynext
as in canyon

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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 rift valley 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 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 See All Example Sentences for rift valley
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rift valley
  1. canyon
  2. gorge
  3. gulch
  4. valley
  5. ravine
  6. gully
  7. depression
  8. glen
Noun
  • Standing on stilts near the top of the canyon, it is surrounded by brush and dirt on either side and is more than 200 feet from the nearest house north of Mulholland.
    — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The statue was modeled after a real burro that lived in the canyon in the early 20th century.
    — Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of canyon
Noun
  • Natural Beauty Beauty is born from nature in Greece due to an incredibly diverse landscape replete with everything from mountains, lakes, forests, and caves to craters, coasts, gorges, and volcanoes.
    — Jennifer Tzeses, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Picture show The bridge-building nonprofit Fika is connecting communities in Rwanda separated by rivers and gorges.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of gorge
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
  • The peaks are dark and snow-capped, the valleys deep and glacial.
    — Holden Frith, TheWeek, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The heat will also build across parts of the Ohio and Tennessee valleys and the Mid-Atlantic through Saturday, with Heat Advisories posted Thursday for parts of those regions.
    — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of valley
Noun
  • Many more were imperiled by muddy water racing through the narrow ravines, sparking frantic rescue missions for dozens.
    — Holly Yan, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The helicopter then returned to the ravine and carried out the same technical maneuver to bring the second climber to safety.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of ravine
Noun
  • Four rescuers used anchors and rope systems to reach Martin, secure him and guide him away from the steep gully.
    — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Hazlewood also captured Taijul Islam, taken at gully by Green for 17.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of gully
Noun
  • Overall, Carr says groups treated with itPBM showed fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress and PTSD, and showed more efficient processing, faster response speed, improved sustained attention and enhanced executive function.
    — Mirin Fader, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The left brain, by contrast, commands language processing, and following a stroke to the left brain, a person can develop not only a communication disorder but often post-stroke depression as well.
    — Michael P.H. Stanley, STAT, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of depression
Noun
  • The series will follow a local estate owner, the Laird of Castle Drummoch (Branagh), who challenges the ambitions of an American billionaire intent on buying up large swaths of the glens.
    — Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2026
  • Set in the modern Scottish Highlands, Laird is an epic family saga in which a proud Scot defies a shadowy American billionaire hellbent on buying up the glens.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 22 July 2026
Definition of glen

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rifts
rift valley
rift valleys
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Cite this Entry

“Rift valley.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rift%20valley. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on rift valley

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rift valley

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