butte

noun

: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 Bring a tent and find a primitive site either in the prairie at the base of the buttes or tucked into the junipers. Graham Averill, Outside Online, 4 Mar. 2025 These pillars are denser clumps of gas and dust that the outflows haven't yet managed to erode, like how the towering buttes in the western United States have remained resolute to wind and rain erosion. Keith Cooper, Space.com, 16 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for butte

Word History

Etymology

French, knoll, from Middle French bute

First Known Use

1805, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of butte was in 1805

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Butte.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/butte. Accessed 7 May. 2025.

Kids 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

More from Merriam-Webster on butte

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