prairie

noun, often attributive prai·rie \ ˈprer-ē \

Definition of prairie

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

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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

A naturalist-lead tour will focus on Taltree's three main ecosystems – the woodland, wetland and prairie – as well as four formal gardens.

— Post-Tribune, "Community news," 28 Aug. 2017
Skokie, then called Niles Center, was used by the studio for shooting western movies because its wood frame buildings at the time resembled an old prairie town, organizers said.

— mike isaacs, chicagotribune.com, "Backlot Bash going on two decades with start of 2017 event," 14 Aug. 2017
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.

— woody connette, charlotteobserver, "50 states, 49 years and 308,486+ feet: This Charlotte man has been to the top of every state. Here’s what he learned.," 14 July 2017
The state natural area is rustic, with rough social paths and old service roads weaving through prairie and oak savanna to the top of Maiden Rock.

— chelsey lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The Great River Road is perfect for a great Wisconsin road trip," 13 July 2017
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.

— jeff wilson, Bloomberg.com, "Fear Not, Pasta Lovers: Your Meal Is Safe From Wheat Price Surge," 5 July 2017
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).

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Selena Gomez's First Coach Campaign Is Here," 24 June 2017
Katherine Hamilton-Smith's visit to Red Cloud, Nebraska, two weeks ago inspired her to read a book this summer by one of her favorite authors: Willa Cather, who wrote about pioneer life on the western prairies.

— sheryl devore, Lake County News-Sun, "Lake County summer reading subjects: A friendly giant, the Cubs, life on Nebraska prairie," 16 June 2017
But the biggest concern is the prairie’s weather — specifically the wind.

— jacob gedetsis, kansascity.com, "How KC Symphony’s Flint Hills concert comes together every year," 16 June 2017

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.