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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 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 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 With its views of a stratovolcano, glaciers, old-growth forests, alpine habitats, and a mix of mountain and steppe landscapes, the Chinook Scenic Byway more than fulfills that brief. — Zoe Baillargeon, Travel + Leisure, 10 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
  • The prairies’ clayey soils and other characteristics suppress tree growth, but allow native grasses, wildflowers and other herbaceous plants to thrive.
    — Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Radical Change Several decades ago, in the dry prairies of eastern Washington, Pamela Soltis and Douglas Soltis began tracking a polyploidy event.
    — Carrie Arnold Contributing, Quanta Magazine, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of prairie
Noun
  • The fertile plains of Punjab are a world apart from the Appalachian Mountains, to which country music traces its roots.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Conversely, Florida beat up on Florida Atlantic to open the season, then scheduled an FCS beatdown as its tune-up before heading to the plains.
    — Noah White, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of plain
Noun
  • The move comes during one of the Mara’s busiest periods, when the annual wildebeest migration draws huge numbers of animals, tourists and conservation teams onto the grasslands.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Junon bears the brunt of Weapons’ attacks in defense of the planet, parts of Gongaga have been flooded, and the grasslands look remarkably different from above.
    — Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of grassland
Noun
  • The center of the activities was a grove, within a ring of trees, considered to be one of the oldest oak savannas in the state.
    — Gregory Harutunian, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
  • With a glorious mane of glowing purple gas and dust, the Lion Nebula sparkles on the cosmic savanna in this new image captured by the James Webb Space Telescope.
    — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 11 Aug. 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
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Cite this Entry

“Steppe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/steppe. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on steppe

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about steppe

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