as in plateau
a broad flat area of elevated land a cold wind from the Andes swept across the altiplano

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of altiplano In the Chilean altiplano above 12,000 feet, Meiburg spends one of the coldest nights of his life in a sleeping bag on the edge of a salt lagoon, staking out mountain caracaras known for working in groups to flip over heavy flat stones in search of edible creatures. Paul Kvinta, Outside Online, 2 Apr. 2021 The landscape changed around me; condensing from plains, desert, and mountains into the jungles of Central America, then unfolding in reverse, into the expanse of the altiplano. J.r. Patterson, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Feb. 2022 Which is why Steve Ruff, a planetary scientist at Arizona State University and a key player in the Home Plate analysis, traveled thousands of miles to El Tatio, a series of hot springs in the rare air of Chile’s altiplano. Jeffrey Marlow, Discover Magazine, 28 Nov. 2016 The world's largest salt flat covers 4,000 square miles of Bolivian altiplano. Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 8 Dec. 2021 The terminal at El Alto International Airport may not have the best design or the most punctilious construction standards, but in the freezing predawn of this high plateau—the Andean altiplano—one could weep with gratitude that it is heated. Alma Guillermoprieto, The New York Review of Books, 3 Dec. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for altiplano
Noun
  • By that point our physical appearance seems to have settled into an evolutionary plateau, with only minor differences among human populations around the globe.
    Kermit Pattison, Scientific American, 20 May 2025
  • Staying Motivated During Setbacks Even the most talented swimmers face periods of plateau or disappointment.
    Casey Murphy, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Noun
  • The biggest threat was for parts of Siskiyou County above 4,500 feet elevation, including the Mount Shasta highlands, Medicine Lake and the Klamath, Salmon and Trinity mountains, as well as Etna Summit and Scott Mountain Summit, the warning said.
    Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
  • Located in the secluded highlands of Lanai, the resort’s minimalist aesthetics easily blend with the surroundings.
    R. Daniel Foster, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • That initial drive was merely the opening act for the hike-able mesas, canyons, and sky-high sandstone beyond the visitor center gates.
    Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 17 May 2025
  • Sky City is situated on a 365-foot-high mesa, about 60 miles west of Albuquerque.
    Smithsonian magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 May 2025
Noun
  • The tableland was formed by volcanic eruptions about 700,000 years ago, according to the Bishop Chamber of Commerce and Information Center.
    Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 11 Mar. 2025
  • It's located on the Cumberland Plateau — a 450-mile tableland that covers much of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, with soaring sandstone walls, large boulders, and dramatic overhangs.
    Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 22 July 2023

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Cite this Entry

“Altiplano.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/altiplano. Accessed 27 May. 2025.

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