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

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 steppe The landscape is dry and largely treeless, with canyons and volcanic monoliths periodically interrupting the otherwise unending steppe. — Jordan Salama, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 In many of his shots, the big sky of Ukraine’s fields and steppe swallows the frame. — Sophie Pinkham, The New York Review of Books, 10 Oct. 2026 The two tortoises on board were, appropriately, Russian steppes tortoises, NASA has said. — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 15 Sep. 2026 Gulzhan’s search takes her to a remote village deep in the steppe, populated entirely by the elderly. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for steppe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for steppe
  1. prairie
  2. plain
  3. grassland
  4. savanna
  5. pampa
Noun
  • Paddling, hiking or staying overnight at the Orlando-area’s outdoor gems showcases Florida’s unique habitats, including pine flatwoods, wetlands, hydric hammocks, scrubs, and open prairies.
    — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Oct. 2026
  • In the postwar decades, humans seized ecosystems at breakneck speed—forests were felled, prairies plowed, wetlands drained.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of prairie
Noun
  • The area sits within the Lake Superior clay plain, where the surrounding soil is largely composed of clay, which can make the water murky and obscure objects beneath the surface.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The men rushed on to the plain, setting more trees ablaze and hurling rocks.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of plain
Noun
  • Every facet of India’s topography, from lush grasslands filled with antelopes to gnarled forests with tigers and evil spirits lurking around every corner, is on full display.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Chiricahua is a combination of climates The new national park features varying environments, from a desert landscape and grasslands to deciduous forest and chaparral shrub land to coniferous forest habitats.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of grassland
Noun
  • And Marchand learned that the savanna penetrated more deeply into the rainforest in south-central Ivory Coast.
    — Thomas J Bassett, The Conversation, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The logic assumes the human form factor is optimal for a factory floor, but this form factor evolved to run away from lions on the African savanna!
    — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 27 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 8 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on steppe

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about steppe

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All