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
In the 1840s, U.S. military officers and mass murderers Kit Carson and Gen. John C. Fremont hid out in the buttes and plotted to seize California from Mexico.
—
Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2024
Bring a tent and find a primitive site either in the prairie at the base of the buttes or tucked into the junipers.
—Graham Averill, Outside Online, 4 Mar. 2025
These pillars are denser clumps of gas and dust that the outflows haven't yet managed to erode, like how the towering buttes in the western United States have remained resolute to wind and rain erosion.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 16 Mar. 2025
The new age movement brought flocks of people to its buttes, canyons and trails.
—Amanda Luberto, The Arizona Republic, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for butte
Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2024
Bring a tent and find a primitive site either in the prairie at the base of the buttes or tucked into the junipers.
—Graham Averill, Outside Online, 4 Mar. 2025
These pillars are denser clumps of gas and dust that the outflows haven't yet managed to erode, like how the towering buttes in the western United States have remained resolute to wind and rain erosion.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 16 Mar. 2025
The new age movement brought flocks of people to its buttes, canyons and trails.
—Amanda Luberto, The Arizona Republic, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for butte
Recent Examples of Synonyms for butte
Noun
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The fire has scorched around 20 acres of land on the mountain, but no structures were lost, the department said.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
1 July 2025
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Imagine standing atop a mountain, gazing at the vast landscape below, trying to make sense of the world around you.—
Ben Verghese,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
Noun
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Hours later, a woman died in a fall from the cliff in a separate incident, sheriff’s officials told news outlets.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
30 June 2025
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Taken in Madagascar at the end of the dry season, the courageous lemur risks a harrowing jump from a towering cliff to another -- carrying her baby along for the ride.—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
Noun
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Scans of the long, flat mesa on the property suggest that there’s an immense, unknown, fragmented thing inside.—
Matt Zoller Seitz,
Vulture,
30 June 2025
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Foothills, groves, canyons and mesas all have been created above a parking garage thanks to the abundant use of hidden foam to shape the terrain.—
Sam Lubell,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2025
Noun
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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
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Nestled in the highlands of the 90,000-acre island of Lanai, this quiet escape immerses visitors in the island’s natural beauty.—
Jasmine Browley,
Essence,
20 June 2025
Noun
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The forested foothills are full of pine and fir trees and the area is a popular mountain park for hiking and biking.—
Kirk Siegler,
NPR,
30 June 2025
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This past April, Outside’s Everest columnist Ben Ayers did the 11-day hike from the town of Lukla in the Himalayan foothills to Mount Everest, and documented his journey via a series of travelogue journals, feature stories, and videos.—
Ben Ayers,
Outside Online,
30 June 2025
Noun
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As subscriber levels plateau, especially in North America, Netflix has been turning to advertising as a key new revenue source.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
26 June 2025
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The tide had gone out, and she was stood on the edge of a large plateau of rock covered in seaweed—a desolate black field.—
James Rebanks
June 26,
Literary Hub,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Butte.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butte. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
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