as in canyon
a narrow opening between hillsides or mountains that can be used for passage
at one point the steep, ice-encrusted walls of the couloir are no more than 50 feet apart
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of couloir
Many skiers argue over the final number of chutes, since the book often describes areas that are home to multiple couloirs.
—
Jake Stern, Outside Online, 25 Apr. 2025
Many of these ski lines are clustered in the same drainages, but while in years past Noyes has been able to complete multiple descents in a day, this year, the hot April sun shortened the windows during which those couloirs would be safe from wet avalanches.
—Jake Stern, Outside Online, 25 Apr. 2025
The group going above the hut to the right will gain a high ridge and continue up the adjacent alpine valley to ski Groove Tube, a beautiful couloir with a wide apron below a prominent peak called La Clytte.
—Jesse James McTigue, Outside Online, 20 Mar. 2025
For more than eight hours, rescuers worked to reach the hikers and lower them from the couloir.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 27 May 2024
While the walls of the steep, narrowing gully quickly rise to more than 100 feet on either side and the couloir is large enough to be rippled with a few ski lines, a snowball tossed from the top can nearly reach the bottom of the gully and the creek that drains it in winter.
—Christopher Solomon, Outside Online, 22 Mar. 2018
In August, 21-year-old Jadyn Weiss fell 300 feet to her death while descending a steep mountain gully known as the Flying Dutchman couloir.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 2 Oct. 2023
That includes backcountry boarding and skiing with friends, ice climbing, snowshoeing, hiking and climbing couloirs.
—Chris Meehan, Popular Mechanics, 27 Feb. 2023
Rivulets and rocks made the couloir treacherous.
—Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2023
Jake Stern, Outside Online, 25 Apr. 2025
Many of these ski lines are clustered in the same drainages, but while in years past Noyes has been able to complete multiple descents in a day, this year, the hot April sun shortened the windows during which those couloirs would be safe from wet avalanches.
—Jake Stern, Outside Online, 25 Apr. 2025
The group going above the hut to the right will gain a high ridge and continue up the adjacent alpine valley to ski Groove Tube, a beautiful couloir with a wide apron below a prominent peak called La Clytte.
—Jesse James McTigue, Outside Online, 20 Mar. 2025
For more than eight hours, rescuers worked to reach the hikers and lower them from the couloir.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 27 May 2024
While the walls of the steep, narrowing gully quickly rise to more than 100 feet on either side and the couloir is large enough to be rippled with a few ski lines, a snowball tossed from the top can nearly reach the bottom of the gully and the creek that drains it in winter.
—Christopher Solomon, Outside Online, 22 Mar. 2018
In August, 21-year-old Jadyn Weiss fell 300 feet to her death while descending a steep mountain gully known as the Flying Dutchman couloir.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 2 Oct. 2023
That includes backcountry boarding and skiing with friends, ice climbing, snowshoeing, hiking and climbing couloirs.
—Chris Meehan, Popular Mechanics, 27 Feb. 2023
Rivulets and rocks made the couloir treacherous.
—Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for couloir
Noun
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Other distinctive features of the main lodge include a dining room with canyon views, saloon, sunroom, auditorium and post office.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
14 July 2025
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Temperatures at the lowest canyon elevations will be well into the triple digits on Monday.—
Marshall Shepherd,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Noun
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When camping in an open environment, select a campsite in a valley, ravine, or low region.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
26 July 2025
-
Deputies arrived to find one of the vehicles had crashed into a ravine, causing a fire, Payman said.—
Susan Gill Vardon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 July 2025
Noun
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The fire was started by lightning Thursday on the park’s south rim, a dramatic, deep gorge carved by the Gunnison River.—
Christiaan Hetzner,
Fortune,
15 July 2025
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True to her word (in this case, at least), Alex slams on the brakes, but the ’cuda — which has been on its last legs for a couple episodes now — doesn’t stop, and the car careers into the gorge.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Couloir.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/couloir. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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