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
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
Scottsdale, Arizona Much like the Midwest’s flat prairie influence, Wright again found inspiration in nature, this time from the desert and McDowell Mountains.
—
Kristina McGuirk, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Aug. 2024
California native of the week: Sonoran false prairie clover or California Marina (Marina/Dalea orcuttii) is a rare native species.
—Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 10 Aug. 2024
There are also chapters explaining the state’s diverse habitat regions, from boreal forests to hardwoods and prairie.
—John Myers, Twin Cities, 26 May 2024
Prairie Prance, 1-2:30 p.m., Fort Harrison State Park, 6000 N. Post Road, Indianapolis
Take a walk among the wildflowers with a naturalist who will help identify some key flora and fauna and explain the importance of our prairie and grassland habitats within the park.
—The Indianapolis Star, 9 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for prairie 
Kristina McGuirk, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Aug. 2024
California native of the week: Sonoran false prairie clover or California Marina (Marina/Dalea orcuttii) is a rare native species.
—Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 10 Aug. 2024
There are also chapters explaining the state’s diverse habitat regions, from boreal forests to hardwoods and prairie.
—John Myers, Twin Cities, 26 May 2024
Prairie Prance, 1-2:30 p.m., Fort Harrison State Park, 6000 N. Post Road, Indianapolis
Take a walk among the wildflowers with a naturalist who will help identify some key flora and fauna and explain the importance of our prairie and grassland habitats within the park.
—The Indianapolis Star, 9 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for prairie
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prairie.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near prairie
Cite this Entry
“Prairie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prairie. Accessed 14 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prairie
noun
prai·rie
ˈpre(ə)r-ē 
: a large area of level or rolling grassland
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