1
as in prairies
a broad area of level or rolling treeless country
the first settlers in that area lived on the vast plains in lonely log cabins
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in expanses
a wide space or area
the vast plains of snow-covered earth that seemed to stretch endlessly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of plains
The spacecraft will soar over craters and plains and may be able to spot dust features and lava flows.
—
Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 14 May 2026
Areas across the northeastern plains, along with parts of Denver, Jefferson, Arapahoe and Douglas counties, improved from Extreme Drought to Severe Drought.
—Callie Zanandrie, CBS News, 14 May 2026
Like his ancestors, once known as prairie wolves, as song dogs, as tricksters and gods, who emerged from the deserts and high plains.
—Literary Hub, 12 May 2026
Tenant farmers from Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Missouri who had lost everything to drought, collapsed crop prices and a decade of wind that stripped the topsoil off the plains migrated their families in hopes of survival.
—Jasmine Desiree, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
And then there’s another canyon a little bit further to the east, which has some windswept plains kind of feeling.
—AFAR Media, 11 May 2026
In the blueberry capital of Georgia, where flat coastal plains stretch out on either side of the road, there’s a good chance travelers will drive past fields of bushy blueberry crops growing in long, monotonous rows.
—Olivia Wakim, AJC.com, 10 May 2026
Once bountiful on the American plains, the animal was nearly hunted into extinction by the 1890s.
—Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 8 May 2026
The terrain is mountainous, a mix of desert and semidesert plains.
—ABC News, 3 May 2026
Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 14 May 2026
Areas across the northeastern plains, along with parts of Denver, Jefferson, Arapahoe and Douglas counties, improved from Extreme Drought to Severe Drought.
—Callie Zanandrie, CBS News, 14 May 2026
Like his ancestors, once known as prairie wolves, as song dogs, as tricksters and gods, who emerged from the deserts and high plains.
—Literary Hub, 12 May 2026
Tenant farmers from Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Missouri who had lost everything to drought, collapsed crop prices and a decade of wind that stripped the topsoil off the plains migrated their families in hopes of survival.
—Jasmine Desiree, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
And then there’s another canyon a little bit further to the east, which has some windswept plains kind of feeling.
—AFAR Media, 11 May 2026
In the blueberry capital of Georgia, where flat coastal plains stretch out on either side of the road, there’s a good chance travelers will drive past fields of bushy blueberry crops growing in long, monotonous rows.
—Olivia Wakim, AJC.com, 10 May 2026
Once bountiful on the American plains, the animal was nearly hunted into extinction by the 1890s.
—Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 8 May 2026
The terrain is mountainous, a mix of desert and semidesert plains.
—ABC News, 3 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plains
Noun
-
The annual Belwin Bison Festival celebrates the release of the NorthStar Bison herd back onto the prairies at Belwin Conservancy.—
Jared Kaufman,
Twin Cities,
13 May 2026
-
First opened in 1876, outdoor enthusiasts love exploring Forest Park’s nature reserve, which is made up of more than 170 acres of forests, woodlands, savannas, prairies, wetlands, and more than 3 miles of waterways.—
Erika Ebsworth-Goold,
Travel + Leisure,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Encounters with whales, dolphins and penguins awaited; landscapes of icy expanses, towering cliffs and rolling green hills beckoned.—
Hira Humayun,
CNN Money,
6 May 2026
-
This former mining hub with a population of about 170 is sandwiched between the vast expanses of Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park.—
Amanda Ogle,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Longer-running hiking trips take you everywhere from Western Greenland to the sea cliffs of the Faroe Islands, the steppes of Mongolia, or the Tien Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan.—
The Editors,
Outside,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Folktales are filled with people fighting to survive in forests, steppes, and deserts, and evading and outwitting the wild beasts that dwell within them.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Goodspeed is equally skeptical of the notion that governments can juice expansions to offset future downturns.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
9 May 2026
-
The pop-ups, the merch, the restaurant, the theater, the listening parties and other upcoming expansions into the real world seem designed to preserve the studio’s cool factor and anchor its growth in the fabric of New York.—
Julian Sancton,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Like the Columbia River Gorge, a Pacific Northwest icon where waterfalls tumble from towering cliffs, the landscape shifts from rainforest to arid grasslands in under two hours, and a historic highway is being transformed into a car-free trail.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
15 May 2026
-
Drive the 14-mile, impossibly scenic Needles Highway and 18-mile Wildlife Loop through grasslands and forest—but be prepared to brake for bison and burros!—
Robert Annis,
Midwest Living,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Earth’s biosphere includes microbes, forests, savannas, animals, and more.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Elephants are among the planet’s most majestic creatures, gentle giants who walk steadfastly through the savannas, forests and deserts of Africa and Asia.—
Catherine Garcia,
TheWeek,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plains. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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