dust bowl

noun

Definition of dust bowlnext
as in desert

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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 dust bowl Middle Grade authors are doing everything from talking dogs to neurodivergent narrators in verse to dragon flights to dust bowl family sagas to elite private schools and everything in between. — American Booksellers Association, USA TODAY, 19 Jan. 2025 As a result, much of Maui's west side became a dry dust bowl susceptible to wildfires. — John Wogan, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 July 2024 Well, that was because of all the people that came from the dust bowl out to California to work in the aeronautics industry. — New Atlas, 10 July 2024 Perhaps irony, like water for the swimming pool, is a resource that dries up seasonally in these parts, leaving only a dust bowl of surly resentment and some tatty deckchairs behind. — Jessica Kiang, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2023 See All Example Sentences for dust bowl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dust bowl
  1. desert
  2. no-man's-land
  3. open air
  4. wasteland
  5. wilderness
  6. wild
Noun
  • Back then, Canty was building gas plants in the West Texas desert, living in a single-bedroom apartment — or bouncing between friends’ guest bedrooms — and waking up before dawn to face another shift of hard labor.
    — Bill Forman, Daily News, 7 July 2026
  • Suiting up in the desert is the first step for Steinbach and Anderson to leave their impressions on the staff in game action.
    — Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 7 July 2026
Definition of desert
Noun
  • When this happens, their planet goes back and forth between being a searing, endless stretch of desert or frozen no-man's-land.
    — JP Mangalindan, Peoplemag, 29 Mar. 2024
  • Abandoned by King Hassan II for its association with the Rif mountain revolts after Moroccan independence, in 1956, Tangier became a dilapidated drive-through, a no-man's-land for another 50 years.
    — Stephanie Rafanelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2023
Definition of no-man's-land
Noun
  • The March 26 kidnapping occurred near International Boulevard and 14th Avenue, a part of Oakland known for having open air prostitution markets around the clock.
    — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 3 July 2026
  • Rosen said the Family Mob ran an open air drug market along Lake Street and Park Avenue South, distributing fentanyl, methamphetamine and crack cocaine.
    — Aki Nace, CBS News, 30 June 2026
Definition of open air
Noun
  • The play, which had its premiere off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre, is a freewheeling love story, set in a skate park in the middle of an urban wasteland.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • Instead of finding some dystopian wasteland, Kraus found regular Americans being regular Americans.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of wasteland
Noun
  • Though this occurred over a sparsely populated wilderness, the incident sparked a major cleanup operation by Canada and the United States, along with a significant diplomatic flap and the payment of millions of dollars by the Soviets for damages.
    — David Szondy July 07, New Atlas, 8 July 2026
  • Visit generations-old nomadic families and experience one of the world’s last great wildernesses in the Gobi Desert.
    — Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
Definition of wilderness
Noun
  • Some of this may sound a little wild.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 31 May 2026
  • Seafood, when caught wild, varies in price due to water temperatures, spawning, overfishing and other factors.
    — Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2026
Definition of wild

Browse Nearby Words

dustbins
dust bowl
dust bowls
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dust bowl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dust%20bowl. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on dust bowl

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dust bowl

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