gully
1 of 3noun (1)
gul·ly ˈgu̇-lē 
ˈgə-
ˈgə- plural gullies
dialectal British
: a large knife
gully
2 of 3noun (2)
gul·ly ˈgə-lē
variants or less commonly gulley
plural gullies
1
: a trench which was originally worn in the earth by running water and through which water often runs after rains
2
: a small valley or gulch
gully
3 of 3verb
gul·ly ˈgə-lē
gullied; gullying
transitive verb
: to make gullies in
intransitive verb
: to undergo erosion : form gullies
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
short for English dialect gully knife
Noun (2)
obsolete English gully gullet, probably alteration of Middle English golet ravine, throat
First Known Use
Noun (1)
1582, in the meaning defined above
Noun (2)
1637, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1754, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Phrases Containing gully
Kids Definition
gully
noun
gul·ly ˈgə-lē
plural gullies
: a trench worn in the earth by running water
gullies
noun
variants also gulleys
as in ravines
a long, narrow cut or low area in the ground that water moves through when it rains Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- ravines
- arroyos
- canyons
- gulches
- trenches
- coulees
- wadis
- gutters
- gorges
- troughs
- nullahs
- washes
- barrancas
- crevasses
- valleys
- crevices
- fissures
- flumes
- clefts
- saddles
- chasms
- cirques
- couloirs
- abysses
- kloofs
- gaps
- defiles
- cols
- linns
- barrancos
- notches
- glens
- passes
- hollows
- draws
- basins
- vales
- gills
- dales
- potholes
- combes
- gulfs
- dells
- floodplains
- kettles
- coombes
- cwms
- coombs
- shut-ins
