1
as in prairies
a broad area of level or rolling treeless country
the first settlers in that area lived on the vast plains in lonely log cabins
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in expanses
a wide space or area
the vast plains of snow-covered earth that seemed to stretch endlessly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of plains
It is located on a ranch in the high plains of New Mexico outside Sante Fe, with stirring views of the Sandia, Ortiz and Sangre de Cristo mountain ranges.
—
Allison Aubrey, NPR, 9 Feb. 2026
Desire, which has been his guide during the hours of riding on horseback across the plains, leaves him no peace.
—Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
In 2020, Singita rebuilt this longtime favorite, swapping romantic 1920s-era antique furnishings with a chic minimalism that blends into the grassy plains.
—Jennifer Flowers, AFAR Media, 30 Jan. 2026
Plants grow naturally in a wide range of habitats, from moist coastal plains, wetlands, and stream banks to drier sand dunes, hillsides, and upland forests.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 29 Jan. 2026
Its silvery surface is scarred by dark regions known as lunar maria, where molten lava once flooded enormous impact basins before hardening to create enormous basaltic plains.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 28 Jan. 2026
During winter, the polar jet stream transports cold, Arctic air southward across the plains of Canada and the United States, then eastward toward the Atlantic Ocean where warm air from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic tries to move northward.
—ABC News, 28 Jan. 2026
Passengers can expect long desert stretches across Al Dhafra, where flat sand plains open out towards the western coastline, followed by low-lying salt flats and industrial zones near Ruwais.
—Keith J Fernandez, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Jan. 2026
Wind chills on the plains could go as low as 22 degrees below zero.
—John Aguilar, Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2026
Allison Aubrey, NPR, 9 Feb. 2026
Desire, which has been his guide during the hours of riding on horseback across the plains, leaves him no peace.
—Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
In 2020, Singita rebuilt this longtime favorite, swapping romantic 1920s-era antique furnishings with a chic minimalism that blends into the grassy plains.
—Jennifer Flowers, AFAR Media, 30 Jan. 2026
Plants grow naturally in a wide range of habitats, from moist coastal plains, wetlands, and stream banks to drier sand dunes, hillsides, and upland forests.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 29 Jan. 2026
Its silvery surface is scarred by dark regions known as lunar maria, where molten lava once flooded enormous impact basins before hardening to create enormous basaltic plains.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 28 Jan. 2026
During winter, the polar jet stream transports cold, Arctic air southward across the plains of Canada and the United States, then eastward toward the Atlantic Ocean where warm air from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic tries to move northward.
—ABC News, 28 Jan. 2026
Passengers can expect long desert stretches across Al Dhafra, where flat sand plains open out towards the western coastline, followed by low-lying salt flats and industrial zones near Ruwais.
—Keith J Fernandez, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Jan. 2026
Wind chills on the plains could go as low as 22 degrees below zero.
—John Aguilar, Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plains
Noun
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Brenna Hernandez European buckthorn grows in sun and shade alike, and thus can invade all kinds of biomes — woodlands , savannas, prairies, pastures, and even empty lots, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources noted.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
It is often found in heavily disturbed sites, such as roadsides, gravel pits and the edges of agricultural fields, but it can also be found in undisturbed dunes, dry prairies, oak and pine woodlands and rangeland.—
Keith Matheny,
Freep.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Under her latest alias, Angel Marcloid offers a beguiling collection of modular synth experiments that cycle between harsh textures and monochromatic expanses.—
Maxie Younger,
Pitchfork,
11 Feb. 2026
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Nature lovers seeking fresh air and green open spaces will delight in the city’s location directly by the lake, in its abundant expanses of forest and parkland, and in its very own mountain, the Uetliberg.—
Meghan Palmer,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Even today, its influence stretches from the steppes of Kazakhstan to the far reaches of low Earth orbit.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
15 Feb. 2026
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Rather than having to find their own sales channels, participating farmers working off tiny plots on mountain steppes can sell their corn to the company at a set price for unified processing, before the corn is sold online and to major distributors.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Many advocates say his legacy on child care includes some unfulfilled promises, though the expansions have been substantial.—
CalMatters,
Oc Register,
18 Feb. 2026
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Decades of unchecked sprawl have left taxpayers footing the bill for costly infrastructure expansions, while natural systems and working lands have disappeared at alarming rates.—
Haley Busch,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Elordi strides naturally through the film’s burning-of-Atlanta orange sunscapes and its grasslands stabbed by obsidian spikes of rock.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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Wildfires have also ravaged grasslands used to graze cattle, according to the White House.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The experience there usually involves wide-open savannas and convoys of jeeps lined up to take in the wildebeest and zebras passing through in the millions during the Great Migration.—
Nicholas DeRenzo,
Travel + Leisure,
13 Jan. 2026
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Serval cats roam savannahs and wetlands.—
Kaicey Baylor,
CBS News,
10 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plains. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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