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
Similar trends have played out in Central Asian steppes and South American plains.
—
Tristan Bove, Fortune, 1 June 2026
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
Tristan Bove, Fortune, 1 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for steppes
Noun
-
These parts of the outback are known for cracking clay plains, ephemeral waterways, scorching summers and dramatic cycling between drought and flood.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
-
There, buffalo roamed free within the ancient ruins of Magna Graecia in the low, alluvial plains just outside of Naples.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
Here, visitors will find miles of wetlands as well as expansive prairies covered with wildflowers.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
11 June 2026
-
The Okefenokee swamp's prairies are vast, watery expanses dotted with floating islands and stands of cypress and other trees.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
9 June 2026
Noun
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According to the team’s modeling, grasslands contain about 40 percent of Earth’s AM infrastructures, with particularly high concentrations predicted in the Florida Everglades, the Tibetan plateau in Asia, and South Sudan in Africa.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
11 June 2026
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Yet the grasslands and many other pastoral areas turned into solar farms are not sandy deserts.—
Sanggay Tashi,
The Conversation,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
Landlocked, it's surrounded by Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil and known for vast savannas, lush landscapes and the indigenous Guarani culture.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 June 2026
-
Earth’s biosphere includes microbes, forests, savannas, animals, and more.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Steppes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/steppes. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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