tundra

noun

tun·dra | \ ˈtən-drə also ˈtu̇n-

Definition of tundra

: 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

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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

Thanks to the polar vortex that's turned most of the country into a frozen tundra this week, most us just barely eked out getting to work in sub-zero (or in some cases, -30º F) temps. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "Here's How Birds Stay Warm in the Winter, In Case You Were Wondering," 1 Feb. 2019 Under a sky frequently illuminated by aurora borealis, visitors can set off by sea to watch whales, or across the tundra to visit the indigenous Sami people and attempt to endear themselves to reindeer. — Nina Sovich, WSJ, "Europe in Winter: 35 Reasons to Visit Off-Season," 21 Nov. 2018 The environment of Alaska's famed arctic tundra, including various grasses, berries and flowers, are reliant on permafrost. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Melting Permafrost Poses a Huge Danger to Artic Infrastructure," 11 Dec. 2018 And Japanese knotweed is still spreading, colonizing entire habitats from Mississippi to Alaska, where only the Arctic tundra holds it back from world domination. — Amanda Foreman, WSJ, "Overrun by Alien Species," 1 Nov. 2018 According to National Geographic, stunning new calculations show that in the Arctic tundra, arctic wolf spiders outweigh arctic wolves in biomass by a ratio of 80 to 1. — Elly Belle, Teen Vogue, "Arctic Wolf Spiders Are Getting Bigger and It Could Slow Part of Climate Change," 24 July 2018 The blue-green-white space checks off several ecosystem boxes, including marine, coastal forest, montane, subalpine and alpine tundra environments. — Andrea Sachs, chicagotribune.com, "This summer, stop by the 23 U.S. locales that have risen to become UNESCO World Heritage sites," 4 May 2018 But according to some pilots, when conditions are good, touching down on the frozen tundra is smoother than landing at a regular airport. — Amanda Greene, Woman's Day, "10 Terrifying Airport Runways," 27 Apr. 2011 In a nondescript office park in Elkton, Maryland, a few miles from the Delaware state line, two new labs recreate blistering deserts and frigid tundras. — Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, "Inside the Futuristic Labs That Forge Gore-Tex," 28 Nov. 2016

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