steppe

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noun \ ˈstep \

Definition of steppe

1 :one of the vast usually level and treeless tracts in southeastern Europe or Asia

2 :arid land with xerophilous vegetation found usually in regions of extreme temperature range and loess soil

See steppe defined for English-language learners

See steppe defined for kids

Examples of steppe in a Sentence

nomads have long grazed yaks on the steppes of Mongolia

Recent Examples of steppe from the Web

The audience, which included officials from nations that donated to the project, was shown a video feed from the new bank in Ust-Kamenogorsk, about 600 miles of largely empty steppe east of Astana.

— chicagotribune.com, "A uranium bank just opened in Kazakhstan to stop the spread of nukes," 29 Aug. 2017
The audience, which included officials from nations that donated to the project, was shown a video feed from the new bank in Ust-Kamenogorsk, about 600 miles of largely empty steppe east of Astana.

— david filipov, Washington Post, "A uranium bank just opened in Kazakhstan to stop the spread of nukes," 29 Aug. 2017
Meanwhile in Essos, Daenerys Targaryen spends five books roaming about in endless steppes, deserts, and seas.

— adrian daub, Longreads, "Here at the End of All Things," 24 Aug. 2017
This suggests that a second wave of people from the Eurasian steppe came to mainland Greece by way of Eastern Europe or Armenia, but didn’t reach Crete, says Iosif Lazaridis, a population geneticist at Harvard University who co-led the study.

— ann gibbons, Science | AAAS, "The Greeks really do have near-mythical origins, ancient DNA reveals," 2 Aug. 2017
That's because large herbivores encourage the growth of steppe grasses, which in turn have a high albedo effect.

— jonathan blair, National Geographic, "We Could Resurrect the Woolly Mammoth. Here's How.," 9 July 2017
Outside of the plains of Kansas, the Russian steppes, and the Sinai desert, there are seldom places where two objects are visible at even three or four miles.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Russia's T-14 Tank Can Outshoot America's by Miles," 21 June 2017
After a successful launch of Russia's Progress cargo spacecraft headed to the International Space Station, falling fragments caused a fire on Kazakhstan's steppes, killing one and injuring another who tried to extinguish the fire.

— sarah lewin staff writer, Fox News, "Russian Rocket Sparks Deadly Fire: How It Happened," 15 June 2017
Flames were devouring pinon-juniper forests and sagebrush steppe that is home to the imperiled sage grouse.

— bruce finley, The Denver Post, "Lightning-sparked wildfires in northwest Colorado force shutdown of oil industry facilities," 11 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'steppe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of steppe

Russian step'

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1671

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steppe Synonyms

Synonyms

campo, champaign, down (s), grassland, heath, lea (or ley), llano, moor, pampa, prairie, savanna (also savannah), plain, tundra, veld (or veldt)

Related Words

field, meadow; floodplain; bottom, bottomland, flat, lowland; plateau, table, tableland, upland

Other Geology Terms

anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale

STEPPE Defined for English Language Learners

steppe

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noun

Definition of steppe for English Language Learners

: a large, flat area of land with grass and very few trees especially in eastern Europe and Asia

STEPPE Defined for Kids

steppe

play

noun \ ˈstep \

Definition of steppe for Students

:land that is dry, rather level, mostly treeless, and covered with grass in regions (as parts of Asia and southeastern Europe) with usually hot summers and cold winters