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
Brenna Hernandez European buckthorn grows in sun and shade alike, and thus can invade all kinds of biomes — woodlands , savannas, prairies, pastures, and even empty lots, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources noted.
—
Adam Harrington, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
It is often found in heavily disturbed sites, such as roadsides, gravel pits and the edges of agricultural fields, but it can also be found in undisturbed dunes, dry prairies, oak and pine woodlands and rangeland.
—Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Wetlands in the area are also home to Everglades snail kites, which hunt for apple snails in freshwater marshes, and other rare species that once inhabited vast wet prairies drained for highways and neighborhoods.
—Jenny Staletovich, Miami Herald, 24 Jan. 2026
There were no forests or prairies—land was largely dominated by slimy microbial mats.
—Taylor Mitchell Brown, Scientific American, 25 Nov. 2025
As these storms darkened the prairies, farmers and laborers alike sought refuge.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025
Hailing from the prairies of North America, this salvia is an end-of-the-season stunner that produces tall spikes of sky-blue flowers in late summer.
—Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Sep. 2025
In early spring of 2025, the prairies were once again dry, but timely rainfall in mid May recharged wetlands in portions of North Dakota, southeastern Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba.
—Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2025
Nebraska’s prairies and parks are known for their vibrant wildflowers like prairie clover, goldenrods, and asters—but sunflowers are the real showstoppers in the fall.
—Iona Brannon, Travel + Leisure, 9 Sep. 2025
Adam Harrington, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
It is often found in heavily disturbed sites, such as roadsides, gravel pits and the edges of agricultural fields, but it can also be found in undisturbed dunes, dry prairies, oak and pine woodlands and rangeland.
—Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Wetlands in the area are also home to Everglades snail kites, which hunt for apple snails in freshwater marshes, and other rare species that once inhabited vast wet prairies drained for highways and neighborhoods.
—Jenny Staletovich, Miami Herald, 24 Jan. 2026
There were no forests or prairies—land was largely dominated by slimy microbial mats.
—Taylor Mitchell Brown, Scientific American, 25 Nov. 2025
As these storms darkened the prairies, farmers and laborers alike sought refuge.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025
Hailing from the prairies of North America, this salvia is an end-of-the-season stunner that produces tall spikes of sky-blue flowers in late summer.
—Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Sep. 2025
In early spring of 2025, the prairies were once again dry, but timely rainfall in mid May recharged wetlands in portions of North Dakota, southeastern Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba.
—Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2025
Nebraska’s prairies and parks are known for their vibrant wildflowers like prairie clover, goldenrods, and asters—but sunflowers are the real showstoppers in the fall.
—Iona Brannon, Travel + Leisure, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prairies
Noun
-
It is located on a ranch in the high plains of New Mexico outside Sante Fe, with stirring views of the Sandia, Ortiz and Sangre de Cristo mountain ranges.—
Allison Aubrey,
NPR,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Desire, which has been his guide during the hours of riding on horseback across the plains, leaves him no peace.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
All 40 rooms in the low-lying, two-story building look onto the park’s iconic towers, with large windows to catch Patagonia’s expansive steppes and skies.—
Sarah Marshall,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Unlike Argentina’s open steppes, Chilean Patagonia hugs the Pacific coast and is carved by glacial valleys covered in with dense vegetation.—
Eric Sheets,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Elordi strides naturally through the film’s burning-of-Atlanta orange sunscapes and its grasslands stabbed by obsidian spikes of rock.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Wildfires have also ravaged grasslands used to graze cattle, according to the White House.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The experience there usually involves wide-open savannas and convoys of jeeps lined up to take in the wildebeest and zebras passing through in the millions during the Great Migration.—
Nicholas DeRenzo,
Travel + Leisure,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Serval cats roam savannahs and wetlands.—
Kaicey Baylor,
CBS News,
10 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prairies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prairies. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
