1 rockfall | Definition of rockfall

rockfall

noun
rock·​fall | \ ˈräk-ËŒfȯl How to pronounce rockfall (audio) \

Definition of rockfall

: a mass of falling or fallen rocks

Examples of rockfall in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

By spring, 2019, landslides and rockfall had further damaged the trail, requiring more work to clear and stabilize it. oregonlive.com, "Wahclella Falls Trail reopened in Columbia Gorge, 2 years after Eagle Creek fire," 26 Aug. 2019 Maxim Rigaux was in the kayak closest to the rockfall. Ryan Prior, CNN, "A group of kayakers on Lake Superior narrowly missed a collapsing sandstone cliff," 15 Aug. 2019 The rockfall is between the 39- and 40-mile markers of Boulder Canyon Drive, just east of Fourmile Canyon. Mitchell Byars, The Denver Post, "Large rockfall closes Boulder Canyon Drive until further notice," 31 July 2019 The last fatal injury from rockfall on the Going-to-the-Sun Road was in 1996 when a vehicle was struck, according to the park. Faith Karimi And Laura James, CNN, "Falling rocks kill a 14-year-old and injure 4 others at Glacier National Park," 14 Aug. 2019 Alley says that the last fatal injury from rockfall on the Going-to-the-Sun Road happened in 1996 in the Logan Pass area. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, "Rockfall on scenic national park road kills teen in car," 13 Aug. 2019 Park rangers received a call around 8 p.m. reporting the rockfall and death, the first on the route since 2014, said park spokesman Kevin Bacher. Asia Fields, The Seattle Times, "1 climber dead, 2 injured after rockfall on Mount Rainier’s Liberty Ridge route," 31 May 2019 Last week, one climber died and two were injured on the Liberty Ridge route after their group got caught in rockfall near Thumb Rock, which is more than 10,000 feet in elevation. Asia Fields, The Seattle Times, "4 climbers stranded on treacherous Mount Rainier route, heavy snow expected," 6 June 2019 But after a climber was killed in a rockfall where that group had camped last week, Krasnitskiy’s group planned to make a quicker ascent and skip that site, and to camp near the summit. NBC News, "Climber rescued after days stranded on Mount Rainier recounts ordeal," 7 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rockfall.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of rockfall

1901, in the meaning defined above

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More from Merriam-Webster on rockfall

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with rockfall

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rockfall