prairies

noun

plural of prairie
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 Most don’t associate cryptocurrency with rural states such as South Dakota, with its Great Plains and drift prairies. — K.h. Koehler, Ascend Agency, 6 Aug. 2026 Davis’s journey to San Jose began on his parents’ farm in Osage County, a land of hills, prairies and the Osage Nation. — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 31 July 2026 Stroll along miles of trails through Mesquite Thornscrub, brackish wetlands, prairies and explore freshwater pods while looking for birds, snakes, reptiles, and fish that live in the native habitats. — Gabi De La Rosa, Southern Living, 28 July 2026 About 60,000 acres of the swamp are shallow, watery prairies covered with grass, sedges and other aquatic plants rooted in thick beds of peat. — Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 25 July 2026 The cross-country route carries passengers through the forests and lakes of northern Ontario, the prairies of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and into the dramatic mountain landscapes of Alberta and British Columbia. — Bailey Berg, Travel + Leisure, 21 July 2026 Despite the first season ending with the Ingalls leaving their Kansas home, the cast won’t be leaving the Canadian prairies quite yet. — Mariah Alanskas, PEOPLE, 11 July 2026 Nearly 1,500 butterflies will be released back into prairies in Michigan and Manitoba in July. — Ray Campos, CBS News, 26 June 2026 State biologists also consider prescribed burns, 88,000 of which take place each year, as essential for restoring prairies, forests and marshes with new growth. — Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prairies
  1. plains
  2. steppes
  3. grasslands
  4. savannas
Noun
  • Through parts of the rainy season, Kio couldn’t be followed by the crew as the plains in the Maasai Mara became impassable.
    — Addie Morfoot, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Walking Laikipia After the stark beauty of Kenya’s far north, head south into Laikipia, where rolling plains teem with wildlife.
    — Nicola Shepherd, Travel + Leisure, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of plains
Noun
  • The unification of the Eurasian steppes under Genghis Khan and his successors—Ögödei, Möngke, and Kublai Khan—brought many of these trade routes under a single political authority for the first time.
    — Ethan Teekah, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Similar trends have played out in Central Asian steppes and South American plains.
    — Tristan Bove, Fortune, 1 June 2026
Definition of steppes
Noun
  • For nature lovers and dog parents, Westminster Hills Open Space is a unique place, offering more than 3,000 acres of land, trails and grasslands.
    — Gabriela Vidal, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Coyote brush, a drought-tolerant, evergreen plant that thrives in the preserve’s grasslands and oak-woodland foothills, is a common native shrub found throughout this preserve.
    — Kalpana Mohan, Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of grasslands
Noun
  • The new property is nestled inside a 45,000-acre private conservancy with open savannahs and waterholes nearby.
    — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 8 July 2026
  • This includes savannahs and shrublands.
    — Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 17 June 2026
Definition of savannas

Browse Nearby Words

prairie
prairies
praise
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Prairies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prairies. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on prairies

Nglish: Translation of prairies for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All