Definition

1. Noun:
   • A dry streambed: A channel or gully that carries water only during or immediately after periods of rain or snowmelt; the dry bed of an intermittent stream, often found in arid regions or at the bottom of a canyon.

Usage

• This term is primarily used in the context of geography, geology, and descriptions of arid landscapes in the southwestern United States and other dry regions.
• It functions as a countable noun (e.g., , ).

Examples

• Noun:
  • The hikers followed the dry wash for a mile before finding a trail.
  • Flash floods can turn a dry wash into a raging river in minutes.
  • The road crossed a broad dry wash at the base of the canyon.

Advanced Usage

• "to follow a dry wash": To use a dry streambed as a path or route, often in hiking or desert navigation.
  • We followed the dry wash to avoid the dense brush on the hillsides.

Variants and Related Words

• Arroyo (n): A steep-sided gully or channel carved by water in an arid region; a synonym common in the southwestern U.S. and Spanish-influenced areas.
• Wadi (n): (Used in North Africa and the Middle East) The bed or valley of a stream that is dry except during the rainy season.
• Gully (n): A small, narrow valley or channel worn by running water.
• Wash (n): Can be used interchangeably with "dry wash" in some regional contexts to mean a dry streambed.

Synonyms

• Streambed
• Gully
• Watercourse (when dry)
• Creek bed

Related Phrases

• Flash flood in a dry wash: Describes the sudden and dangerous filling of a dry channel with water.
  • Camping in a dry wash is dangerous due to the risk of a flash flood.

Noun

1. the dry bed of an intermittent stream (as at the bottom of a canyon)