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
  • Some on the Iranian plateau still practice Zoroastrianism, the world’s first monotheistic faith, and the foundation for an ancient empire that still informs Iranians’ sense of themselves.
    Karl Vick, Time, 22 June 2025
  • While Nintendo mostly conceded the corporate tug-of-war over graphical prowess back in 2006 with the Wii, the general plateau of visual enhancements over the last two generations means that games running on Switch 2 look pretty damned good even compared to more premium devices.
    Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 5 June 2025
Noun
  • These included the highlands around Lake Titicaca to the north, the llama-herding plains of the Altiplano to the west and the agriculturally rich valleys of Cochabamba to the east.
    Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
  • The Creag is a short walk away from the Highlands clubhouse and draws its inspiration, as does much of the resort, from the rugged Scottish highlands.
    Mike Fore, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
Noun
  • That's clear in cities like St. George, a desert community surrounded by stunning red rock cliffs and mesas in Utah's southwest corner.
    David Condos, NPR, 9 June 2025
  • The first will remain in effect for the northern, southern and east slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the Johnson and Bartlett mesas, including Raton Pass, through Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. local time.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2024
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 8 Jul. 2025.

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