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
  • The story turns Hishem, on a customs officer on the Algerian-Tunisian border, who encounters Tesla, a donkey lost in the desert with headphones over his ears, with a bag of cocaine on his back.
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The Padres arrived in the desert having won eight of nine, which spurred the front office to acquire starting pitchers Robbie Ray and Casey Mize at the deadline.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Aug. 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
  • Half of the bar is open air, with an elevated area along the wall for lucky bar-goers looking for a perch to take in the wild scene.
    — USA TODAY NETWORK, USA Today, 29 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of open air
Noun
  • These devices seem to share a conviction, however vague or coded, that the present is a wasteland bereft of life and color.
    — Mitch Therieau, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The Gwi Realm is a desolate, crimson wasteland littered with malevolent presence, so naturally there have been comparisons to that other little Netflix show called Stranger Things.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of wasteland
Noun
  • His canine companion is Odin (played by a pooch named Uber), who rescues James after their crash and embarks on a journey of survival in the wilderness.
    — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 6 Aug. 2026
  • By driving Etna’s drifting itinerary with the quest to return home, Yoon invokes the pastoral nostalgia that has characterized the canine tradition’s man-dog battles against the brutal wilderness.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of wilderness
Noun
  • Though The Next Pro hasn’t yet taken viewers out into the open wilds of Australia, Irwin doesn’t see his duties at DWTS and the Australia Zoo as mutually exclusive.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 18 July 2026
  • Some of this may sound a little wild.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 31 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 8 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on dust bowl

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dust bowl

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