butte

noun

ˈbyüt 

: 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

Recent Examples on the Web

On July 4, North Dakota gained the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library atop a butte in Medora. — Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 July 2026

Situated on a butte at the gateway to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the 96,000-sq-ft (8,918-sq-m) library and museum structure practically blends into the rugged landscape. — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 7 July 2026

Today, visitors can spot wildlife like bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, and black-footed ferrets among the sharply eroded buttes. — Scott Bay, Travel + Leisure, 2 July 2026

The unique red rock buttes often show up in movies, calendars and magazines. — Staff, USA Today, 8 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, knoll, from Middle French bute

First Known Use

1805, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for butte

• boot
• bruit
• brut
• brute
• chute
• coot
• cute
• flute
• fruit
• hoot
• jute
• loot

Kids Definition

butte

noun

ˈbyüt 

: a hill with steep sides standing in a flat area

Geographical Definition

Butte

geographical name

ˈbyüt 

city in southwestern Montana on a plateau in the Rockies population 32,996