tundra

noun

tun·​dra ˈtən-drə 

 also  ˈtu̇n-

: a level or rolling treeless plain that is characteristic of arctic and subarctic regions, consists of black mucky soil with a permanently frozen subsoil, and has a dominant vegetation of mosses, lichens, herbs, and dwarf shrubs

also : a similar region confined to mountainous areas above timberline

Synonyms

• campo
• champaign
• down(s)
• grassland
• heath
• lea
• ley
• llano
• moor
• pampa
• plain
• prairie
• savanna
• savannah
• steppe
• veld
• veldt

Examples of tundra in a Sentence

a report on the arctic tundra of Alaska and the polar bears that inhabit that vast, frozen plain

Recent Examples on the Web

The landscape and its issues felt similar: the effects of forest fires, the melting permafrost revealing itself in cracks that splice through forlorn buildings, and giant plugs of tundra that collapse like soufflés. —Sophy Roberts, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Feb. 2024

Drive 48-mile Trail Ridge Road, the park’s marquee roadway, which winds through 14,000-foot peaks and windswept tundra, offering sweeping views of the Continental Divide. —Kelley Manley, Travel + Leisure, 30 June 2024

Enlarge / Wrangel Island, north of Siberia has an extensive tundra. —Jeanne Timmons, Ars Technica, 29 June 2024

What had been sold to me as an Arctic safari through untouched tundra filled with frolicking muskoxen turned out to be a dystopian horror show. —Alexandra Owens, Robb Report, 27 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Russian, from Russian dialect (northeast) tundra, tundara, from Kildin Sami (Sami language of the northern Kola Peninsula) tūnter

First Known Use

circa 1841, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing tundra

• tundra swan

Kids Definition

tundra

noun

tun·​dra ˈtən-drə 

 also  ˈtu̇n-

: a treeless plain especially of arctic regions having a permanently frozen layer below the surface soil and plant life made up mostly of mosses, lichens, herbs, and very small shrubs