savanna

noun

sa·​van·​na sə-ˈva-nə 

variants or less commonly savannah

1

: a treeless plain especially in Florida

2

a

: a tropical or subtropical grassland (as of eastern Africa or northern South America) containing scattered trees and drought-resistant undergrowth

b

: a temperate grassland with scattered trees (such as oaks)

Synonyms of savanna

• prairie
• steppe
• plain
• grassland

Examples of savanna in a Sentence

lions roaming the savanna

Recent Examples on the Web

This comparison only goes so far, of course; a theme‑park savanna and the real thing are as different as Orlando and Tsavo are distant. —David Dickstein, Oc Register, 18 Mar. 2026

The insect thrives in warm savanna woodlands and in vegetation along lakes or streams, so the disease tends to take hold in remote areas where people rely on fishing, hunting and agriculture for their livelihoods. —Fran Kritz, NPR, 16 Mar. 2026

Controlled burns will be carried out every 2 to 5 years to maintain the oak savanna habitat. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 14 Mar. 2026

Brasília was built from scratch, in the middle of nowhere, in the hostile climate of the Cerrado—a savanna-like biome—hundreds of miles from any highway, railway, or airport. —Sophia La Banca, JSTOR Daily, 11 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Spanish zavana, from Taino zabana

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for savanna

• arana
• arcana
• banana
• bandana
• bandanna
• brahmana
• cabana
• campana
• diana
• fianna
• hosanna
• hyaena

Kids Definition

savanna

noun

sa·​van·​na

variants also savannah

sə-ˈvan-ə 

: a grassland (as of eastern Africa or northern South America) containing scattered trees