mesa

noun

me·​sa ˈmā-sə 

: an isolated relatively flat-topped natural elevation usually more extensive than a butte and less extensive than a plateau

also : a broad terrace with an abrupt slope on one side : bench

Synonyms

• altiplano
• plateau
• table
• tableland

Examples of mesa in a Sentence

a mesa in the Arizona desert

Recent Examples on the Web

According to the park’s website, the Ancestral Pueblo lived on the mesa tops for 600 years before moving into the cliffs and continued to farm on mesa tops even afterward. —Eve Chen, USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2024

The town invites visitors and residents to explore some of the U.S.'s various beautiful landscapes — including red rock formations, natural sandstone arches and mesa landforms. —Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 7 Feb. 2024

These lands in Montezuma County were once inhabited by the cliff-dwelling ancestors of the Pueblo people, who constructed homes out of the sandstone from the cliffs and mesas on which they were built. —Adam Lapetina, Travel + Leisure, 18 Mar. 2024

However, according to the scientists, the jumble of layered mesas and canyons in this eastern part of Noctis Labyrinthus revealed its volcanic nature. —Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 15 Mar. 2024

Deuter Kid Comfort Active Carrier for $224 ($56 off) Reviewer Scott Gilbertson's son grew up in this pack, which carried him from the mountains of Colorado to the hot barren mesas of Chaco Canyon. —Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 28 Nov. 2023

The central summit area is marked by several elevated mesas forming an arc, reaching a regional high and sloping downhill away from the summit area. —Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 15 Mar. 2024

Wildflowers suddenly appear in the most unlikely places: the huge Kelso Dunes in March and April; the volcanic Cima Cinder Cones in March and Cima Dome in April; and the park’s higher mesas and mountains in May. —Joe Yogerst, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024

The canyon’s iron way, a series of sturdy iron bars that rise up the 450-foot cliff, guides climbers back to the mesa as views of southern Utah’s iconic red rocks unfold at their backs. —Shoshi Parks, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, literally, table, from Latin mensa

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

mesa

noun

me·​sa ˈmā-sə 

: a flat-topped hill or small plateau with steep sides

Etymology

Spanish, literally, "table"

Geographical Definition

Mesa

geographical name

Me·​sa ˈmā-sə 

city east of Phoenix in southwest central Arizona population 439,041