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 Those sports are archery, wrestling and bareback horse riding — disciplines that trace directly to the steppe traditions Mongolian culture is built on. — Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 2 June 2026 Combined, the pair could bring more than 10,000 homes to the once-vacant steppe along the Ada County line. — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 28 May 2026 The journey includes Polaris service from Los Angeles to Tokyo and access to Mongolia’s steppe, festivals, and luxury ger camps. — Mae Hamilton, Travel + Leisure, 8 May 2026 These descendants of Kazakh nomadic herders, who once moved freely across the steppe with their animals, now speak of staying put as a mark of strength rather than constraint. — Magdalena Stawkowski, The Conversation, 8 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for steppe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for steppe
  1. prairie
  2. plain
  3. grassland
  4. savanna
  5. pampa
Noun
  • The land that is today Sterling Ranch was a working ranch on the prairie not long ago.
    — Olivia Young, CBS News, 13 July 2026
  • Yes, a large portion of the state is made up of prairies and farmland, but the Black Hills in southwestern South Dakota are home to a handful of relatively affordable mountain towns.
    — Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 13 July 2026
Definition of prairie
Noun
  • Somewhere in that huge basaltic plain my poem and the Lunar Codex successfully landed in March 2025.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 July 2026
  • The warning covers the valleys, mountains and inland portions of the coastal plain, where temperatures are expected to range from the 90s to as high as 110 degrees during the peak of the heat event Wednesday and Thursday.
    — City News Service, Daily News, 15 July 2026
Definition of plain
Noun
  • After arriving on set in Winnipeg at the tail end of winter, Travers quickly discovered the family’s palette within the landscape of blue skies and grassland.
    — Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 10 July 2026
  • Also known as Bombus auricomus, the black-and-gold bumblebee is native to North America and builds below ground nests in the grasslands of Illinois.
    — Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026
Definition of grassland
Noun
  • Besides rolling, open savannas and nearby waterholes—with views of the mountains beyond—the sanctuary is home to one of Africa’s largest populations of both black and white rhinos and plays a pivotal role in conservation efforts, too.
    — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 8 July 2026
  • Across the Amazon rainforest, cerrado savanna, Atlantic Forest, Pantanal wetland, Caatinga scrub and Pampa grassland, the country’s plant life seems less like one national inheritance than several botanical worlds sharing a border.
    — Spencer Elliott, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
Definition of savanna
Noun
  • 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
  • This involves riding on gravel tracks across pampas, past fjords, and ranchlands.
    — Everett Potter, Forbes.com, 30 May 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 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on steppe

Nglish: Translation of steppe for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about steppe

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