prairie

noun

prai·​rie ˈprer-ē 

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

Synonyms of prairie

• steppe
• plain
• grassland
• savanna
• pampa
• meadow
• veld

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

Friends of Tandy Hill, a group that works to protect the 220-acre native prairie in Fort Worth from ongoing issues like misuse and vandalism, has met with the city three times about this issue in the past year, said Don Young, the group’s founder and president. —Samuel O’Neal 17, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Mar. 2026

Channel your inner prairie girl in Dôen’s signature puff-sleeve Ashlynn midi. —Laura Jackson, Vogue, 17 Mar. 2026

The state was about 85% forest at the time, with pockets of prairie and bison in the far western areas. —Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026

Farther out, the Hal Scott Regional Preserve and Park offers miles of hiking and horseback riding trails across wetlands and prairie landscapes, while the Split Oak Forest Wildlife and Environmental Area protects one of the region’s last remaining stands of old-growth oak forest. —Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 13 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, from Old French praierie, from Vulgar Latin *prataria, from Latin pratum meadow

First Known Use

circa 1682, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing prairie

• prairie chicken
• prairie dog
• prairie schooner
• prairie soil
• prairie wolf
• short-grass prairie
• tallgrass prairie

Rhymes for prairie

• accessary
• adversary
• ancillary
• arbitrary
• aviary
• axillary
• beriberi
• breviary
• budgetary
• capillary
• catenary
• cautionary

Kids Definition

prairie

noun

prai·​rie ˈpre(ə)r-ē 

: a large area of level or rolling grassland