steppe

noun

ˈstep How to pronounce steppe (audio)
Definition of steppenext
as in prairie
a broad area of level or rolling treeless country nomads have long grazed yaks on the steppes of Mongolia

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 steppe Gulzhan’s search takes her to a remote village deep in the steppe, populated entirely by the elderly. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026 The endless Tibetan steppe extended in front of me, the dark and frigid gorge to the Shilla River on my right. — Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2026 Akiyama landed back on Earth on December 10, 1990, touching down on the steppe of Kazakhstan with cosmonauts Gennadi Manakov and Gennady Strekalov on board Soyuz TM-10. — Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 2 Sep. 2026 The desire to see Russia as singularly the product of its steppe heritage ends up distorting and simplifying this history. — Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for steppe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for steppe
  1. prairie
  2. plain
  3. grassland
  4. savanna
  5. pampa
Noun
  • Vintage finds, including an antique Swedish farm table, sit alongside custom bronze racks, while a swath of grass has been installed along the length of the shopfront window, nodding to the prairies of Wescoat Pound’s native Midwest.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • On the ground, bike riders and hikers pass prairie plants and native grasses laden with early fall seed — little blue stem, yellow prairie grass, goldenrod, whorled milkweed, purple cone flower, common milkweed, coreopsis and others.
    — Susan DeGrane, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of prairie
Noun
  • The last person to see them alive Hundreds of miles from the snow and ice of the Himalaya, a modest house in the plains of India’s Punjab state holds memories of the last hours of Morup’s life.
    — Helen Regan, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
  • These arid plains dotted with date palms were once full of natural lakes and lush pastures on which local inhabitants roamed and grazed their livestock.
    — Taylor Luck, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of plain
Noun
  • Filmed on the Mongolian grasslands, the film portrays the chaos of the early days of the Covid pandemic.
    — Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The varied vegetation captured in this false-color image includes grassland, savannas and mopane trees, which appear bright red.
    — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of grassland
Noun
  • The fires created open, savannah-like forests that were easier to travel through and supported diverse flora and fauna.
    — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • While African savanna elephants are listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the southern African nation of Botswana has a large elephant population estimated at around 130,000, more than any other country.
    — Sello Motseta, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of savanna
Noun
  • Hundreds, thousands of solar panels are distributed like macropixels among ravines, pampas, slopes, and wherever there’s room for them.
    — Cristina Dorador, The Dial, 14 July 2026
  • Participants travel by horseback to South American landscapes few people ever reach, from vast valleys and sweeping pampas to ancient lenga forests and high plateaus populated with condors.
    — Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 6 June 2026
Definition of pampa

Browse Nearby Words

stepparents
steppe
stepped
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Steppe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/steppe. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on steppe

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about steppe

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