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
While the continent was once home to 170 million acres of tall-grass prairie, now only four percent remains.
—
Valerie Fraser Luesse, Southern Living, 21 Apr. 2025
This call is a staple of the summer soundscape in American prairies, where the uppie serves as an indicator species for prime habitat.
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Apr. 2025
Stay here: Sprawled across 80 acres of Wyoming prairie and with an outdoor pool, a nine-hole golf course, and two on-site restaurants, Little America Cheyenne, a local icon since opening in 1952, might be the most luxurious game in town.
—Sophie-Claire Hoeller, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2025
Demand for beef on the West Coast of the U.S., for instance, can be cheaper to fulfill from the Canadian prairies than from an East Coast packinghouse.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prairie
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Valerie Fraser Luesse, Southern Living, 21 Apr. 2025
This call is a staple of the summer soundscape in American prairies, where the uppie serves as an indicator species for prime habitat.
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Apr. 2025
Stay here: Sprawled across 80 acres of Wyoming prairie and with an outdoor pool, a nine-hole golf course, and two on-site restaurants, Little America Cheyenne, a local icon since opening in 1952, might be the most luxurious game in town.
—Sophie-Claire Hoeller, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2025
Demand for beef on the West Coast of the U.S., for instance, can be cheaper to fulfill from the Canadian prairies than from an East Coast packinghouse.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 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 6 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prairie
noun
prai·rie
ˈpre(ə)r-ē 
: a large area of level or rolling grassland
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