: an isolated hill or mountain with steep or precipitous sides usually having a smaller summit area than a mesa
Examples of butte in a Sentence
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Comprising nearly 463,000 acres of private and leased public land centered on the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, the American Prairie reserve is decidedly un-tropical, a rolling shortgrass prairie that stretches out to the horizon, punctuated by smatterings of trees and rocky buttes.
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Adam Roy, Outside Online, 24 Apr. 2025
Additionally, the applicants aim to honor the sacred and historical significance of the buttes to Native American history and mythology.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Both applications to change the landmark’s name cite the controversial history of John Sutter, whose namesake is ubiquitous throughout the area, including in the county containing the buttes and the unincorporated town located near the formation’s base.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2025
In the 1840s, U.S. military officers and mass murderers Kit Carson and Gen. John C. Fremont hid out in the buttes and plotted to seize California from Mexico.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2024
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Adam Roy, Outside Online, 24 Apr. 2025
Additionally, the applicants aim to honor the sacred and historical significance of the buttes to Native American history and mythology.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Both applications to change the landmark’s name cite the controversial history of John Sutter, whose namesake is ubiquitous throughout the area, including in the county containing the buttes and the unincorporated town located near the formation’s base.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2025
In the 1840s, U.S. military officers and mass murderers Kit Carson and Gen. John C. Fremont hid out in the buttes and plotted to seize California from Mexico.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for butte
Cite this Entry
“Butte.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/butte. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
butte
noun
: a hill with steep sides standing in a flat area
Geographical Definition
Butte
geographical name
city in southwestern Montana on a plateau in the Rockies population 32,996
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