variants
also savannahs
as in plains
a broad area of level or rolling treeless country
lions roaming the savanna
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 savannas
No colonial power had ever controlled the swamps and savannas of the interior—an alien land of lagoons, glade marshes, prairies, and hardwood thickets.
—
Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
The park offers one of the most exciting wildlife experiences in Southern Africa, with a million acres of biodiverse savannas, wetlands, and montane rainforests, and a range of animals that includes buffalo herds, lion prides, and an array of birds.
—Lisa Grainger, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Feb. 2026
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
According to the African Wildlife Foundation, serval cats are most commonly found on savannas and possess long necks and legs that enable them to see over tall grass.
—Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 8 Dec. 2025
In 2009, Boko Haram launched an insurgency to establish a caliphate in Nigeria and the broader Sahel (the semi-arid transitional zone between the Sahara and savannas).
—MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Nov. 2025
In the savannas of Brazil, the hand of industrialization is mighty.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
Located right outside of town in neighboring Moss Point, the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve offers 18,000 acres of pine savannas, salt marshes, bays, bayous, and salt pannes to explore.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 27 Sep. 2025
Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
The park offers one of the most exciting wildlife experiences in Southern Africa, with a million acres of biodiverse savannas, wetlands, and montane rainforests, and a range of animals that includes buffalo herds, lion prides, and an array of birds.
—Lisa Grainger, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Feb. 2026
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
According to the African Wildlife Foundation, serval cats are most commonly found on savannas and possess long necks and legs that enable them to see over tall grass.
—Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 8 Dec. 2025
In 2009, Boko Haram launched an insurgency to establish a caliphate in Nigeria and the broader Sahel (the semi-arid transitional zone between the Sahara and savannas).
—MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Nov. 2025
In the savannas of Brazil, the hand of industrialization is mighty.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
Located right outside of town in neighboring Moss Point, the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve offers 18,000 acres of pine savannas, salt marshes, bays, bayous, and salt pannes to explore.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 27 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for savannas
Noun
-
There is a Red Flag Warning in place from 11am to 9pm Thursday for areas at the base of the Front Range Foothills, the entire Denver metro area and most of the eastern plains.—
Dave Aguilera,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Further inland and to the south, Wolwedans Boulders Camp sits atop an island of granite and sandy plains found within a private nature reserve deep in the desert.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Hundreds of thousands of acres, including many former rice plantations, have been conserved in the area between Beaufort and Charleston, and marshes there stretch out like coastal prairies.—
Thad Moore,
AJC.com,
10 Mar. 2026
-
In spring, wildflowers bloom across the Oklahoma prairies, while summer showcases the striking desert landscapes of Arizona and New Mexico under big, blue skies.—
Zoey Goto,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Even today, its influence stretches from the steppes of Kazakhstan to the far reaches of low Earth orbit.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The species typically grows in grasslands that have been gently managed over long periods and support diverse wildlife — habitats where decades of light intervention create conditions for uncommon species to take hold.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Clavaria calabrica typically grows in grasslands that have been gently managed over long periods and support diverse wildlife.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Savannas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/savannas. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
