as in plains
a broad area of level or rolling treeless country
you can see for miles in every direction on the prairie
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 prairies
The North American wildflowers still grow on prairies and grasslands, nourishing butterflies and bees with nectar-rich flowers that bloom from the top down.
—
Jamie McIntosh, The Spruce, 5 May 2026
Learn More The Great Plains prairies once covered 550 million acres—nearly a third of the continental United States.
—Teresa Woodard, Midwest Living, 3 May 2026
Bison are a keystone species to North American prairies.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2026
Custer Gallatin National Forest Some of the state’s first blooms arrive in Custer Gallatin National Forest, which has low-elevation prairies and foothills.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 27 Apr. 2026
As a native to prairies, meadows, and open woods, this garden favorite cannot tolerate having 'wet feet' and requires the optimal drainage sandy soil provides.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 16 Apr. 2026
Guitarist-banjoist Paul Lecours and singer-poet Karsyn Henderson formed Truck Violence after moving from the remote prairies of Alberta to the busy metropolis of Montreal as 17-year-olds.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 14 Apr. 2026
Lake County continues to make up for past injustices to the Native Americans who once roamed the area’s prairies and woodlands.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
The medium-size canines, weighing anywhere from 20 to 40 pounds, moved in to fill the ecological gaps, pushing their turf beyond prairies and deserts to include forests and, eventually, urban areas.
—Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 26 Mar. 2026
Jamie McIntosh, The Spruce, 5 May 2026
Learn More The Great Plains prairies once covered 550 million acres—nearly a third of the continental United States.
—Teresa Woodard, Midwest Living, 3 May 2026
Bison are a keystone species to North American prairies.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2026
Custer Gallatin National Forest Some of the state’s first blooms arrive in Custer Gallatin National Forest, which has low-elevation prairies and foothills.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 27 Apr. 2026
As a native to prairies, meadows, and open woods, this garden favorite cannot tolerate having 'wet feet' and requires the optimal drainage sandy soil provides.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 16 Apr. 2026
Guitarist-banjoist Paul Lecours and singer-poet Karsyn Henderson formed Truck Violence after moving from the remote prairies of Alberta to the busy metropolis of Montreal as 17-year-olds.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 14 Apr. 2026
Lake County continues to make up for past injustices to the Native Americans who once roamed the area’s prairies and woodlands.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
The medium-size canines, weighing anywhere from 20 to 40 pounds, moved in to fill the ecological gaps, pushing their turf beyond prairies and deserts to include forests and, eventually, urban areas.
—Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 26 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prairies
Noun
-
The terrain is mountainous, a mix of desert and semidesert plains.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 May 2026
-
The terrain is mountainous, a mix of desert and semi-desert plains.—
Ope Adetayo,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 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
-
Wildfires that occurred in grasslands, such as the southeastern Colorado Cherry Canyon Fire in 2020, by contrast, seemed to barely register with visitors.—
Kyle Manley,
The Conversation,
6 May 2026
-
The North American wildflowers still grow on prairies and grasslands, nourishing butterflies and bees with nectar-rich flowers that bloom from the top down.—
Jamie McIntosh,
The Spruce,
5 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
“Prairies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prairies. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
