Canyon
/ˈkænjən/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA valley, especially a long, narrow, steep valley, cut in rock by a river.
verbOf water, liquid, or another substance, to flow in or into a canyon.
Sentence Examples
The Grand Canyon is one of the most popular places in the USA.
The Grand Canyon at sunrise was the most impressive sight that I had ever seen.
The sound of a gunshot echoed across the canyon.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The river carved a deep ____ through the rocky plateau over millions of years.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The Grand ____ is one of the most amazing natural wonders in world.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Spanish cañón. Doublet of cannon.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"After we have crossed the Glenderamackin stream, which drains the northern slopes of Saddleback, and the latter has united with the St. John's Beck to form the Greta, however, we see ahead the miniature canyon the Greta has hollowed out for itself, and into the depth of which the train now descends."
— 1961 October, Voyageur, “The Cockermouth, Keswick & Penrith Railway”, in Trains Illustrated, page 601:
"Snow filled her mouth. She caromed off things she never saw, tumbling through a cluttered canyon like a steel marble falling through pins in a pachinko machine."
— 2012, John Branch, “Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek”, in New York Times:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The river carved a deep ____ through the rocky plateau over millions of years.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The Grand ____ is one of the most amazing natural wonders in world.