often attributive
1
: land in or predominantly in grass
2
: a tract of grassland: such as
a
: a large area of level or rolling land in the Mississippi River valley that in its natural uncultivated state usually has deep fertile soil, a cover of tall coarse grasses, and few trees
b
: one of the dry treeless plateaus east of the Rocky Mountains that merge on their east side with the prairies proper and are characterized by shorter grasses and drier less fertile soil
Synonyms
Examples of prairie in a Sentence
Millions of buffalo once roamed the prairies.
The train tracks extend over miles of prairie.
Recent Examples on the Web
Colorado’s parks reflect the state’s ecological diversity, whether nestled in the mountains or sprawled across the prairies, alongside flowing rivers, or in dense forests.
—
Margaret Jackson, The Denver Post, 11 June 2024
The park has also acquired 14 acres next to the building site, which will include a half-mile loop trail through a native prairie.
—Ruth Cronin, The Enquirer, 7 June 2024
Thick smoke slows traffic along Interstate 35 through the Kansas Flint Hills each spring when ranchers set the prairie afire so the grass will grow back thick and tall on millions of rolling acres that have changed little since herds of wild bison roamed where beef cattle now graze.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 3 June 2024
Now, the Indiana chapter of the Nature Conservancy is restoring a prairie where about 90 buffalo roam and, as that herd grows, some are sent to help native American tribes across the country restore their herds.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 29 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for prairie 
Margaret Jackson, The Denver Post, 11 June 2024
The park has also acquired 14 acres next to the building site, which will include a half-mile loop trail through a native prairie.
—Ruth Cronin, The Enquirer, 7 June 2024
Thick smoke slows traffic along Interstate 35 through the Kansas Flint Hills each spring when ranchers set the prairie afire so the grass will grow back thick and tall on millions of rolling acres that have changed little since herds of wild bison roamed where beef cattle now graze.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 3 June 2024
Now, the Indiana chapter of the Nature Conservancy is restoring a prairie where about 90 buffalo roam and, as that herd grows, some are sent to help native American tribes across the country restore their herds.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 29 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for prairie
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prairie.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near prairie
Cite this Entry
“Prairie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prairie. Accessed 16 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prairie
noun
prai·rie
ˈpre(ə)r-ē 
: a large area of level or rolling grassland
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