often attributive
1
: land in or predominantly in grass
2
: a tract of grassland: such as
a
: a large area of level or rolling land in the Mississippi River valley that in its natural uncultivated state usually has deep fertile soil, a cover of tall coarse grasses, and few trees
b
: one of the dry treeless plateaus east of the Rocky Mountains that merge on their east side with the prairies proper and are characterized by shorter grasses and drier less fertile soil
Examples of prairie in a Sentence
Millions of buffalo once roamed the prairies.
The train tracks extend over miles of prairie.
Recent Examples on the Web
Image In a pale prairie dress styled with blond wavy hair, the singer conjured an effortlessly glamorous milkmaid while performing with Arca.
—
Anthony Rotunno, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
These birds are often seen foraging, perhaps stepping across the prairie in a line to flush insect prey from the grass.
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Apr. 2025
This is a space committed to capturing the sojourners who are determined to travel in headwear that—while perhaps practical for herding cattle across the prairie—is decidedly impractical for air travel.
—Teaghan Skulszki, Outside Online, 12 Apr. 2025
The path led across a watery prairie feathered with saw grass.
—Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prairie
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.
Anthony Rotunno, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
These birds are often seen foraging, perhaps stepping across the prairie in a line to flush insect prey from the grass.
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Apr. 2025
This is a space committed to capturing the sojourners who are determined to travel in headwear that—while perhaps practical for herding cattle across the prairie—is decidedly impractical for air travel.
—Teaghan Skulszki, Outside Online, 12 Apr. 2025
The path led across a watery prairie feathered with saw grass.
—Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prairie
Cite this Entry
“Prairie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prairie. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prairie
noun
prai·rie
ˈpre(ə)r-ē 
: a large area of level or rolling grassland
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share