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
Synonyms
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
Thousands of years ago, southern Wisconsin transitioned from a closed-canopy oak forest to an oak savanna—in an open prairie, oaks, instead of growing straight and tall, branch too early for canoe-making.
—
Jacqueline Kehoe, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Dec. 2024
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia CNN — Grasslands — also known as prairies, steppes, pampas or savannas — are home to 25% of the world’s population and all kinds of plants and wildlife, including elephants, rhinos and lions.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN, 6 Dec. 2024
On several holes his courses put the golfer between towering limestone cliffs, and, extra cool, those who play Big Cedar Lodge’s Buffalo Ridge course can spy herds of bison that roam and feed on the natural-grass prairies surrounding the fairways.
—Graham Averill, Outside Online, 24 Nov. 2024
Down in the stunning, secluded Osa Peninsula, the park contains cloud forests, montane forests, prairies, wetlands, mangroves, and even oceanic habitats.
—Brent Rose, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for prairie 
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Jacqueline Kehoe, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Dec. 2024
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia CNN — Grasslands — also known as prairies, steppes, pampas or savannas — are home to 25% of the world’s population and all kinds of plants and wildlife, including elephants, rhinos and lions.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN, 6 Dec. 2024
On several holes his courses put the golfer between towering limestone cliffs, and, extra cool, those who play Big Cedar Lodge’s Buffalo Ridge course can spy herds of bison that roam and feed on the natural-grass prairies surrounding the fairways.
—Graham Averill, Outside Online, 24 Nov. 2024
Down in the stunning, secluded Osa Peninsula, the park contains cloud forests, montane forests, prairies, wetlands, mangroves, and even oceanic habitats.
—Brent Rose, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for prairie
Dictionary Entries Near prairie
Cite this Entry
“Prairie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prairie. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prairie
noun
prai·rie
ˈpre(ə)r-ē 
: a large area of level or rolling grassland
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