gully
A washed-out ditch cut through dirt by runoff.
Also called gulley.
Updated September 24, 2026
gully pronunciation
/GULL-ee/
Meaning
On a farm or hillside, a gully is the raw channel rain leaves behind when water tears through the ground. It is bigger than a tire rut and meaner than a neat ditch. Country folks point it out when a pasture is cutting up, a dirt road is going bad, or somebody's truck got stuck down in the wash.
How folks use it
- “That last hard rain cut a gully clean across the back pasture.”
- “Don't drive down through that gully unless you want to walk home.”
Origin and etymology
English from the mid-1600s for a water-cut channel. Likely tied to older words for a gullet or watercourse. In rural Southern and Appalachian talk it stayed farm language: the scar runoff leaves on a slope, and the root of sayings like gully washer.
Frequently asked questions
Is a gully the same as a ditch?
Close, but a ditch is often dug on purpose. A gully usually digs itself when rain runs hard.