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 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
  • Miloslav Druckmüller, Shadia Habbal, and Václav Široký The sun hangs low over the plains of Castile and León, in the north-central region of Spain.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 5 Nov. 2026
  • That means that Olympus Mons, the extinct Martian volcano that at around 16 miles (26 kilometers) above the surrounding Martian plains is the largest mountain in the solar system, may in fact be a slumbering giant.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 4 Nov. 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
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Cite this Entry

“Steppe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/steppe. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about steppe

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