coulee
noun
cou·lee ˈkü-lē 
1
a
: a small stream
b
: a dry streambed
c
: a usually small or shallow ravine : gully
2
: a thick sheet or stream of lava
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Atop that mesa, hidden in a sandstone coulee, our campfire burned a hole in the darkness. 
Outdoor Life, 6 Nov. 2020 Sagebrush steppes are cracked by muddy coulees hiding pines where the spring snow lingers. Christopher Preston, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2020 The region is marked by rolling prairie, steep coulees, and a smattering of cropfields, making it the perfect place to grow trophy bucks, and to sneak up on them. The Editors, Field & Stream, 12 Sep. 2019 Camping: One of the best ways to experience coulee country in eastern Washington is to camp. John Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2019 But in the early 1980s, Janice began making and selling quilts, wall hangings, grapevine wreaths and other crafts from their home on Jade Road at the mouth of a Driftless Area coulee. Brian E. Clark, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 23 Feb. 2018 Writer John Nelson introduces us to the coulees (deep ravines) of Washington state in a piece that opened my eyes (again) to the idea that a place that looks like nothing is often quite something. Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2019 But in the early 1980s, Janice began making and selling quilts, wall hangings, grapevine wreaths and other crafts from their home on Jade Road at the mouth of a Driftless Area coulee. Brian E. Clark, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 23 Feb. 2018 There are multiple ways to access this area; the description below begins in the Northwest corner of the coulee and is accessible to hikers of all ages and abilities. Caitlin Moran, The Seattle Times, 26 Apr. 2017 See More
Outdoor Life, 6 Nov. 2020 Sagebrush steppes are cracked by muddy coulees hiding pines where the spring snow lingers. Christopher Preston, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2020 The region is marked by rolling prairie, steep coulees, and a smattering of cropfields, making it the perfect place to grow trophy bucks, and to sneak up on them. The Editors, Field & Stream, 12 Sep. 2019 Camping: One of the best ways to experience coulee country in eastern Washington is to camp. John Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2019 But in the early 1980s, Janice began making and selling quilts, wall hangings, grapevine wreaths and other crafts from their home on Jade Road at the mouth of a Driftless Area coulee. Brian E. Clark, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 23 Feb. 2018 Writer John Nelson introduces us to the coulees (deep ravines) of Washington state in a piece that opened my eyes (again) to the idea that a place that looks like nothing is often quite something. Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2019 But in the early 1980s, Janice began making and selling quilts, wall hangings, grapevine wreaths and other crafts from their home on Jade Road at the mouth of a Driftless Area coulee. Brian E. Clark, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 23 Feb. 2018 There are multiple ways to access this area; the description below begins in the Northwest corner of the coulee and is accessible to hikers of all ages and abilities. Caitlin Moran, The Seattle Times, 26 Apr. 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
Canadian French coulée, from French, flowing, flow of lava, from couler to flow, from Old French, from Latin colare to strain, from colum sieve
First Known Use
1807, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
coulee
noun
as in arroyo
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- arroyo
- canyon
- gully
- gulch
- ravine
- wadi
- barranca
- gorge
- trench
- gulley
- valley
- trough
- wash
- saddle
- col
- couloir
- nullah
- barranco
- crevasse
- glen
- gutter
- flume
- cirque
- cleft
- linn
- draw
- crevice
- kloof
- combe
- defile
- chasm
- abyss
- fissure
- gill
- dale
- pass
- vale
- gulf
- basin
- notch
- coombe
- hollow
- gap
- dell
- coomb
- cwm
- floodplain
- pothole
- kettle
- shut-in
