prairie

noun

prai·​rie ˈprer-ē How to pronounce prairie (audio)
often attributive
1
: land in or predominantly in grass
2
: a tract of grassland: such as
a
: a large area of level or rolling land in the Mississippi River valley that in its natural uncultivated state usually has deep fertile soil, a cover of tall coarse grasses, and few trees
b
: one of the dry treeless plateaus east of the Rocky Mountains that merge on their east side with the prairies proper and are characterized by shorter grasses and drier less fertile soil

Examples of prairie in a Sentence

Millions of buffalo once roamed the prairies. The train tracks extend over miles of prairie.
Recent Examples on the Web As winter’s chilly grip makes way for warmer climes and longer days, spring wildflower blooms erupt in colorful splendor across the region’s alpine meadows, rugged coastlines, and grassland prairies. Krista Simmons and J.d. Simkins, Sunset Magazine, 8 Mar. 2024 In central Nebraska, a mower sparked a prairie fire that has burned a huge swath of grassland roughly the size of the state’s largest city of Omaha, state officials said Tuesday. Jim Vertuno, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024 These prairie speedsters have evolution to thank for their fleetness; early pronghorns evolved alongside a cheetah-like predator that was equally swift, and natural selection insured that only the fastest speed-goats survived to procreate. Scott Bestul, Field & Stream, 28 Feb. 2024 The Mi'kmaq live on the East Coast, Algonquin people are from Ontario and northern Quebec, and Cree people are primarily from the prairies. EW.com, 27 Oct. 2023 Canada's prairie regions have a large Ukrainian diaspora community and, um, pierogis are a specialty. Caitlin Morton, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Sep. 2023 How about a road trip hitting all the highlights of Alberta, the big Western province where the prairie meets the Rocky Mountains. Joe Yogerst, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 The short-eared owl can be found in prairies and wetlands, unlike most other owls that live in forests, Williams said. Megan Marples, CNN, 9 Feb. 2024 One night, two young men took Shepard out onto the prairie and beat him unmercifully. Ted Koppel, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prairie.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, from Old French praierie, from Vulgar Latin *prataria, from Latin pratum meadow

First Known Use

circa 1682, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of prairie was circa 1682

Dictionary Entries Near prairie

Cite this Entry

“Prairie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prairie. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

prairie

noun
prai·​rie ˈpre(ə)r-ē How to pronounce prairie (audio)
: a large area of level or rolling grassland

More from Merriam-Webster on prairie

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