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
Hikers will pass by Texas persimmon trees and bluestem prairie grass, with armadillos and rabbits popping in and out of the wilderness.
—
Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Sep. 2025
Dune and swale systems are globally rare; this topographic variation — upland in the dunes, lowland in the swales — combines with the region’s unique confluence of biomes — particularly oak savanna, prairie and wetlands — to pack a lot of biodiversity into the preserve’s 42 acres.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
This area surrounding Black Mesa State Park comprises 1,600 acres (650 hectares) of black lava rock where the Rocky Mountains meet the prairie.
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 28 Aug. 2025
The spiders prefer undisturbed lands to nest, so the vast prairies on the Comanche National Grassland make ideal habitats, Visit La Junta says.
—Gary Stoller, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prairie
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Sep. 2025
Dune and swale systems are globally rare; this topographic variation — upland in the dunes, lowland in the swales — combines with the region’s unique confluence of biomes — particularly oak savanna, prairie and wetlands — to pack a lot of biodiversity into the preserve’s 42 acres.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
This area surrounding Black Mesa State Park comprises 1,600 acres (650 hectares) of black lava rock where the Rocky Mountains meet the prairie.
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 28 Aug. 2025
The spiders prefer undisturbed lands to nest, so the vast prairies on the Comanche National Grassland make ideal habitats, Visit La Junta says.
—Gary Stoller, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 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 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prairie
noun
prai·rie
ˈpre(ə)r-ē 
: a large area of level or rolling grassland
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share