Meaning & use
ravine
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Meaning
nouncountable
A deep, narrow valley with steep sides, often formed by a stream or river.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a ravine', 'two ravines'. It is smaller than a canyon.
Patterns
- a deep ravine
- a narrow ravine
- into a ravine
- cross a ravine
The hikers followed a path along the edge of a deep ravine.
A small stream flowed at the bottom of the ravine.
The bridge spans a narrow ravine.
Word forms
| plural | ravines |
|---|
Common combinations
- a deep ravine
- The explorers descended into a deep ravine.
- a steep ravine
- The steep ravine made climbing difficult.
- the bottom of the ravine
- They found a lost dog at the bottom of the ravine.
- a wooded ravine
- The wooded ravine was full of birdsong.
Synonyms and how they differ
Commonly confused: ravine or ravine?
ravine vs ravine
Not to be confused with 'ravine' meaning a violent attack? No, that's 'ravine'? Actually 'ravine' is only a geographical feature; 'ravine' is not a verb.
Practice
The river cut a deep, narrow ______ through the rock.
Choose one answer.
A ravine is a deep, narrow valley, often formed by a stream. A canyon is much larger; a valley is broader and gentler; a plateau is a flat elevated area, not a cut.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ravine”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.