Giant's Causeway

American

noun

a large body of basalt, unusual in displaying perfect columnar jointing, exposed on a promontory on the northern coast of Northern Ireland.

Giant's Causeway British

noun

a promontory of columnar basalt on the N coast of Northern Ireland, in Antrim: consists of several thousand pillars, mostly hexagonal, that were formed by the rapid cooling of lava and the inward contraction of the lava flow

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Giant's Causeway

First recorded in 1770–80

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Danny tried not to snort, then said, “Giant’s Causeway.”

From Literature

As he flew across the great ocean, he shut his eyes and thought of Giant’s Causeway, of Pili, of the next part of his adventure.

From Literature

The three of them lined up on the pillars of Giant’s Causeway close to the waves, ready to face what was to come.

From Literature

Natural landscapes from all four UK nations will also feature inside the updated documents, including Ben Nevis, the Lake District, Three Cliffs Bay and the Giant's Causeway.

From BBC

"The north coast has the Dark Hedges and the Giant's Causeway, we've got the largest box-junction in Ireland," he said.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023