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
Examples of steppe in a Sentence
nomads have long grazed yaks on the steppes of Mongolia
Recent Examples on the Web
But they’ve since been reestablished on the steppes of Mongolia and China, with some in Russia and Ukraine.
—
Mark Vancleave, Twin Cities, 30 June 2025
In the northwest of what became America, bogs and boreal forests replaced the dry plains and steppe, fed upon and spread by large grazers like wapiti, moose and elk — who lived on, and helped create, the forests that now define the region.
—Saul Elbein, The Hill, 16 May 2025
Unclaimed lands, especially on the forested edges of the steppe, were offered to settlers, creating ideal conditions for hunter ticks.
—Sean Lawrence, The Conversation, 18 June 2025
Modern Europeans descend from three main ancestral populations: hunter-gatherers who colonized the continent by around 40,000 years ago, early farmers from Anatolia who came into Europe about 8,500 years ago, and pastoralists from the Pontic-Caspian steppe who arrived around 5,000 years ago.
—Kermit Pattison, Scientific American, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for steppe
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.
Mark Vancleave, Twin Cities, 30 June 2025
In the northwest of what became America, bogs and boreal forests replaced the dry plains and steppe, fed upon and spread by large grazers like wapiti, moose and elk — who lived on, and helped create, the forests that now define the region.
—Saul Elbein, The Hill, 16 May 2025
Unclaimed lands, especially on the forested edges of the steppe, were offered to settlers, creating ideal conditions for hunter ticks.
—Sean Lawrence, The Conversation, 18 June 2025
Modern Europeans descend from three main ancestral populations: hunter-gatherers who colonized the continent by around 40,000 years ago, early farmers from Anatolia who came into Europe about 8,500 years ago, and pastoralists from the Pontic-Caspian steppe who arrived around 5,000 years ago.
—Kermit Pattison, Scientific American, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for steppe
Cite this Entry
“Steppe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steppe. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
steppe
noun
: land in regions of wide temperature range (as in southeastern Europe and parts of Asia) that is dry, usually rather level, and covered with grass
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share