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.
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. 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

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 29 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

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