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
The southern end of the park is known for its high concentration of petrified wood, but the northern end has jaw-dropping views of the Painted Desert, the colorful expanse of hills, buttes, and mesas in Arizona’s high desert.
—
Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 6 Sep. 2025
No eyes, no nose, just a butte with shadows.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
Grab a site at the BLM’s White House Campground, which views a cluster of sand-white buttes ($12 per site, first come/first serve).
—Graham Averill, Outside Online, 19 Feb. 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
Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 6 Sep. 2025
No eyes, no nose, just a butte with shadows.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
Grab a site at the BLM’s White House Campground, which views a cluster of sand-white buttes ($12 per site, first come/first serve).
—Graham Averill, Outside Online, 19 Feb. 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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The model suggested that ice from Antarctica alone — before any additions from Greenland, mountain glaciers or thermal expansion — could raise the seas by more than a meter by 2100.—
Evan Howell,
Quanta Magazine,
20 Oct. 2025
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The director continues to drum up the suspense when, after a Hollywood-style car chase that’s perfectly executed, the clan arrives at Iman’s childhood home in the mountains, where things definitely take a turn into thriller territory and several guns come back into play.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Coming into this season, the Rams needed their two old stars on offense not to fall off the age cliff and thus complement a youthful defense that’s among the NFL’s best.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Oct. 2025
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The South Laguna stretch of beaches, including Treasure Island, is popular for its dramatic high cliffs, rocky outcroppings and remote coves.—
Erika I. Ritchie,
Oc Register,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Within minutes, guests can be standing beneath the stone arches of Arches National Park, 4 miles away, or surveying mesas and buttes in Canyonlands National Park, 30 miles southwest, where the Colorado and Green rivers have carved the landscape for centuries.—
Cari Shane,
USA Today,
15 Oct. 2025
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Instead, tribal members have relied on a single power line that runs roughly 30 miles east and west across high desert punctuated by three distinctive mesas, home to 12 distinct villages, including some of the oldest inhabited communities in the United States.—
Nate Perez,
NPR,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This musician from Ambato, Ecuador, tropicalized the national music of the Ecuadorian highlands, which had long been stigmatized for its Indigenous roots and the sad melodies often associated with them.—
NPR,
NPR,
13 Oct. 2025
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Don Churros Gomez traces its lineage back to Yahualica, Jalisco, a region in Mexico’s highlands known for its rich soil and incredible produce, according to Nuñes-Gomez.—
Brock Keeling,
Oc Register,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Denise’s family was out on a foothill in a large, modern ranch house.—
Rachel Kushner,
New Yorker,
14 Sep. 2025
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The Shooting The shooting began shortly after 12:30 p.m. at Evergreen High School, about 30 miles west of Denver in the foothills of Jefferson County.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Baylor’s frustrated team, and fan base Bowl eligibility only requires six wins, and with remaining games against Houston, Utah and Cincinnati, Baylor is trending to only barely make it to that mediocre 6-6 plateau.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 Oct. 2025
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The seabed drops abruptly to a plateau.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Butte.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butte. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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