as in mountain
a type of hill with a flat top and steep sides that is found in the southwestern U.S.
The otherworldly sandstone buttes of Monument Valley, Arizona are well worth a visit.
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Recent Examples of butte
Enchantment's accommodations include casitas and suites, with designs and decor inspired by the Southwest desert landscape and views of Sedona's red rock buttes.
—
Michael Salerno, AZCentral.com, 9 Oct. 2025
Courses are high-quality desert golf with lots of elevation changes, exposed rocks, and a few dramatic signature holes, most famously the third on the Mountain course, a short par-three with a tee on a cliff and the green atop a rocky butte.
—Larry Olmsted, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
No eyes, no nose, just a butte with shadows.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
Their conclusion from this is that the mesas and buttes are the remains of what was once a far larger plateau, which was largely eroded away on the side facing the northern basin.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for butte
Michael Salerno, AZCentral.com, 9 Oct. 2025
Courses are high-quality desert golf with lots of elevation changes, exposed rocks, and a few dramatic signature holes, most famously the third on the Mountain course, a short par-three with a tee on a cliff and the green atop a rocky butte.
—Larry Olmsted, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
No eyes, no nose, just a butte with shadows.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
Their conclusion from this is that the mesas and buttes are the remains of what was once a far larger plateau, which was largely eroded away on the side facing the northern basin.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for butte
Recent Examples of Synonyms for butte
Noun
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Designed by Hong Kong wunderkind Andre Fu, the hotel’s serene interiors balance understated Japanese influences with extraordinary harbor, city, and mountain views.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Feb. 2026
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The whole mountain rumbles when an avalanche rolls off it.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
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From Llombards, the path heads southwest along the cliffs, passing some of the island’s prettiest and most secluded calas, including Figuereta and Cala Marmols.—
Paul Richardson,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 Feb. 2026
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The arch was formed by centuries of harsh wind and high seas grinding away at the Calcarenite stone cliffs of Italy’s Puglia region, on the turquoise waters of the Adriatic Sea.—
Barbie Latza Nadeau,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The 15,400-seat venue has been New Mexico’s home since 1966 and quickly earned the nickname The Pit, in part because it’s built into a mesa in southeast Albuquerque.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Feb. 2026
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Think again, as the California Zephyr, the longest route in America crosses through seven states, carving up Colorado’s canyons, then passing into Utah where the sun ignites mesas into flaming towers of rock.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Frantic and crying, Manuela called her mother, a middle-aged farmer in the remote central highlands of Ecuador, who, from so far away and not knowing where else to turn, sent a WhatsApp audio message to me.—
Jordan Salama,
New Yorker,
19 Feb. 2026
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For his latest documentary the German filmmaker behind Grizzly Man and Cave of Forgotten Dreams follows conservation biologist and National Geographic Explorer Steve Boyes on his obsessive quest to find the mythical ghost elephants of Lisima in the highlands of Angola.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Those in the mountain/foothill communities who are without power from the recent storm will be especially impacted.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado,
Sacbee.com,
20 Feb. 2026
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Tiffany Yap, urban wildlands science director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in addition, the status upgrade can influence foothill and mountain development land use.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Its first phase started with more than 600 villages along India's 2,100-mile-long border with China, many high up in the forbidding Himalayan plateau.—
Omkar Khandekar,
NPR,
17 Feb. 2026
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The Aztecs reached the 20-win plateau for a fourth straight season, tying a program record set from 1994-97.—
Bill Center,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Butte.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butte. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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