as in plains
a broad area of level or rolling treeless country
nomads have long grazed yaks on the steppes of Mongolia
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Recent Examples of steppes
Longer-running hiking trips take you everywhere from Western Greenland to the sea cliffs of the Faroe Islands, the steppes of Mongolia, or the Tien Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan.
—
The Editors, Outside, 18 Mar. 2026
Folktales are filled with people fighting to survive in forests, steppes, and deserts, and evading and outwitting the wild beasts that dwell within them.
—Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
Even today, its influence stretches from the steppes of Kazakhstan to the far reaches of low Earth orbit.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 15 Feb. 2026
Rather than having to find their own sales channels, participating farmers working off tiny plots on mountain steppes can sell their corn to the company at a set price for unified processing, before the corn is sold online and to major distributors.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2026
All 40 rooms in the low-lying, two-story building look onto the park’s iconic towers, with large windows to catch Patagonia’s expansive steppes and skies.
—Sarah Marshall, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
Unlike Argentina’s open steppes, Chilean Patagonia hugs the Pacific coast and is carved by glacial valleys covered in with dense vegetation.
—Eric Sheets, Travel + Leisure, 5 Dec. 2025
The gene expression in the muscle tissue suggested a predominance of slow-twitch muscle fibers indicating the mammoth's muscles were built for stamina, ideal for long, steady travel across the cold, expansive steppes.
—Jay Kakade
december 03, New Atlas, 3 Dec. 2025
In Mongolia’s eastern steppes, an initiative implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is helping farmers revive more than 11,000 hectares of cropland through no-till farming and intercropping—restoring productivity while protecting ecosystems.
—Kaveh Zahedi, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
The Editors, Outside, 18 Mar. 2026
Folktales are filled with people fighting to survive in forests, steppes, and deserts, and evading and outwitting the wild beasts that dwell within them.
—Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
Even today, its influence stretches from the steppes of Kazakhstan to the far reaches of low Earth orbit.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 15 Feb. 2026
Rather than having to find their own sales channels, participating farmers working off tiny plots on mountain steppes can sell their corn to the company at a set price for unified processing, before the corn is sold online and to major distributors.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2026
All 40 rooms in the low-lying, two-story building look onto the park’s iconic towers, with large windows to catch Patagonia’s expansive steppes and skies.
—Sarah Marshall, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
Unlike Argentina’s open steppes, Chilean Patagonia hugs the Pacific coast and is carved by glacial valleys covered in with dense vegetation.
—Eric Sheets, Travel + Leisure, 5 Dec. 2025
The gene expression in the muscle tissue suggested a predominance of slow-twitch muscle fibers indicating the mammoth's muscles were built for stamina, ideal for long, steady travel across the cold, expansive steppes.
—Jay Kakade
december 03, New Atlas, 3 Dec. 2025
In Mongolia’s eastern steppes, an initiative implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is helping farmers revive more than 11,000 hectares of cropland through no-till farming and intercropping—restoring productivity while protecting ecosystems.
—Kaveh Zahedi, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for steppes
Noun
-
The best lunar views actually come when the moon is only half-lit or slightly gibbous, when long shadows carve dramatic detail across craters, mountains and vast lava plains along the lunar sunrise line.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
22 May 2026
-
The resources, plains and mountains of present-day Colorado provided food, shelter and a way of life for Indians throughout the region.—
Judith Kohler,
Denver Post,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
The annual Belwin Bison Festival celebrates the release of the NorthStar Bison herd back onto the prairies at Belwin Conservancy.—
Jared Kaufman,
Twin Cities,
13 May 2026
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First opened in 1876, outdoor enthusiasts love exploring Forest Park’s nature reserve, which is made up of more than 170 acres of forests, woodlands, savannas, prairies, wetlands, and more than 3 miles of waterways.—
Erika Ebsworth-Goold,
Travel + Leisure,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
These billowing grasslands, rising up to heights of 10 feet, were once the largest continuous ecosystem on the continent, with more biodiversity than any place in the world aside from the Amazon rainforest.—
Matt Kirouac,
Travel + Leisure,
20 May 2026
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Like the Columbia River Gorge, a Pacific Northwest icon where waterfalls tumble from towering cliffs, the landscape shifts from rainforest to arid grasslands in under two hours, and a historic highway is being transformed into a car-free trail.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Earth’s biosphere includes microbes, forests, savannas, animals, and more.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Elephants are among the planet’s most majestic creatures, gentle giants who walk steadfastly through the savannas, forests and deserts of Africa and Asia.—
Catherine Garcia,
TheWeek,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Steppes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/steppes. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
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