Definition of prairie
1 : land in or predominantly in grass
2 : a tract of grassland: such asa : 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 treesb : 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
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Examples of prairie in a Sentence
Millions of buffalo once roamed the prairies.
The train tracks extend over miles of prairie.
Recent Examples of prairie from the Web
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Half a dozen high points, from the Dakotas southward through Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, follow a meandering 1,200-mile axis through vast, open prairies and ranges.
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The Montana durum price rose 33 percent in June, the most for that month since before 1999, as drought intensified from the northern Great Plains to the southern Canadian Prairies, where most of the North American wheat crops are grown.
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Gomez wears a Coach blush pink prairie dress and totes the brand's Swagger bag while radiating her classic Cool Girl vibe from the backseat (no neck pillows and headphones here).
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But the biggest concern is the prairie’s weather — specifically the wind.
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From ridges and valleys to prairies to coastal plains, there are abundant nature trails easily reached on a road trip for hiking enthusiasts.
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Once confined mostly to the prairies of central North America, coyotes have expanded across much of the continent, moving into territory once controlled by wolves.
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San Diego County Fair: Learn how to saddle up, rope and ride-’em cowboy; pan for gold; or set up camp out on the prairie and tell tales around the campfire.
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Meet the snakes ▪ Western rattlesnake: Rattlesnakes (the Western and less common prairie) are the only poisonous snakes in Idaho.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prairie.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of prairie
French, from Old French praierie, from Vulgar Latin *prataria, from Latin pratum meadow
Other Ecology Terms
PRAIRIE Defined for English Language Learners
prairie
playDefinition of prairie for English Language Learners
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: a large, mostly flat area of land in North America that has few trees and is covered in grasses
PRAIRIE Defined for Kids
prairie
playDefinition of prairie for Students
: a large area of level or rolling grassland
Learn More about prairie
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See words that rhyme with prairie Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for prairie Spanish Central: Translation of prairie Nglish: Translation of prairie for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of prairie for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about prairie
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