buttes

noun

plural of butte
as in cliffs
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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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 buttes Today, visitors can spot wildlife like bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, and black-footed ferrets among the sharply eroded buttes. — Scott Bay, Travel + Leisure, 2 July 2026 From the layer-cake buttes of Badlands National Park to the winding canyons of the Black Hills, this part of South Dakota is legendary. — Ashlea Halpern, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 July 2026 The unique red rock buttes often show up in movies, calendars and magazines. — Staff, USA Today, 8 June 2026 Towering buttes shoot out of waving prairie grasses. — Julia Sayers Gokhale, Midwest Living, 1 June 2026 The kitchen turns out whimsical bar food, like Mexican pizza, and wall art depicts the buttes and cacti of the Seussian desert. — Chris Malloy, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Apr. 2026 Alaska runs along a ridge just outside of Arches National Park, offering long-range views of the park’s towers and buttes across the Salt Valley. — Graham Averill, Outside, 28 Mar. 2026 As Arizona yielded to New Mexico, the dirt seemed to get redder and the ridges rose to form buttes. — Tribune News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buttes
  1. cliffs
  2. mountains
  3. mesas
  4. highlands
  5. peaks
Noun
  • Once twilight fades, the cliffs and headlands nearby become excellent places to watch for bright Perseid meteors.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 15 July 2026
  • All around, gleaming with an incandescence that seems cut out of the cold blue sky itself, sheer cliffs rise impossibly high, a canopy of skyscrapers reflecting sunlight among themselves, creating a labyrinth that partitions the sun’s rays.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 July 2026
Definition of cliffs
Noun
  • The road climbs through green mountains before suddenly revealing the Atlantic Ocean.
    — Rafael Peña, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026
  • High temperatures in the 90s for inland Orange County and in the mountains below 6000 feet, in the mid 90s to 104 in the San Diego County valleys, and in the upper 90s to 108 for the Inland Empire expected.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 14 July 2026
Definition of mountains
Noun
  • Beginning in the late 1960s, artists abandoned galleries in favour of deserts, salt flats, mesas, and remote terrain, using these surroundings as both setting and material.
    — Lara Johnson-Wheeler, Vogue, 3 July 2026
  • Its mesas, arches and deep canyons give the stars a dramatic stage, especially from remote viewpoints away from direct artificial light.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026
Definition of mesas
Noun
  • The Simbari people of Papua New Guinea’s eastern highlands separate boys from their mothers around the age of nine.
    — Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker, 22 June 2026
  • The Macallan Importantly, this is the first time that Macallan fans will be able to have this type of experience without going through global travel retail or venturing into the heart of the remote Scottish highlands.
    — Mark Littler, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
Definition of highlands
Noun
  • Framed by the peaks of the Soutpansberg rather than open savannah, Luvhondo offers a glimpse of what the future of safari could look like, one where restoring ecosystems is just as important as observing the wildlife that calls them home.
    — Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • Paddling season in northern Minnesota starts in mid-June, peaks in July and continues into October.
    — Kris Millgate, Outdoor Life, 16 July 2026
Definition of peaks

Browse Nearby Words

buttery
buttes
butt heads
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Cite this Entry

“Buttes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buttes. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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