butte

noun

Definition of buttenext
as in mountain
a type of hill with a flat top and steep sides that is found in the southwestern U.S. The otherworldly sandstone buttes of Monument Valley, Arizona are well worth a visit.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 butte And that erosion took place across a pretty significant distance, as the buttes extend hundreds of kilometers away from the present highlands. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, 20 Jan. 2025 The towering features are similar to the buttes and mesas of Monument Valley along the Arizona-Utah border. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, 26 Jan. 2025 Rather than focusing on the plateau itself, the work focuses on the neighboring lowlands, which include a large region dotted with thousands of buttes and mesas that rise roughly a kilometer above the surrounding plains. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, 20 Jan. 2025 Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota The buttes, bluffs, and pinnacles of the North Dakota badlands make for desirable backpacking come summer. — Erica Zazo, Outside Online, 9 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for butte
Recent Examples of Synonyms for butte
  1. mountain
  2. cliff
  3. mesa
  4. highland
  5. foothill
  6. plateau
Noun
  • In footage shared with CNN, he can be seen on a foggy mountain as the wind blows.
    — Madalena Araujo, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2025
  • The stand-up star celebrated the major milestone on Feb. 25 by skiing down a mountain in nothing but a red bikini, with a large group of women also sporting bathing suits in the snow.
    — Becca Longmire, People.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Definition of mountain
Noun
  • The burial chamber was uncovered at the base of a desert cliff almost 23 feet beneath Abydos, one of Egypt’s oldest cities about 300 miles south of Cairo and roughly six miles from the Nile River.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Researchers uncovered the tomb at the mountain, at the base of a high desert cliff where strong winds carry gusts of sand.
    — Alan Yuhas, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Definition of cliff
Noun
  • In The Black Sea Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Clues And Answers For Wednesday, March 26th Ransom Canyon (April 17 with 10 Episodes) Ransom Canyon is a place where love, loss, and loyalty collide beneath the crimson mesas of Texas Hill Country.
    — Dana Feldman, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
  • Swerve past arid mesa tops and cow pastures all the way to your destination.
    — Emily Pennington, Outside Online, 28 Feb. 2025
Definition of mesa
Noun
  • The winter weather advisory affects Southwest Idaho highlands, the Owyhee Mountains and the Camas Prairie for slippery roads.
    — Ashley Fredde, Idaho Statesman, 6 Mar. 2025
  • Researchers first discovered the frog in an expedition to the park in 2006 but identified it as another similar species found in the central highlands of Madagascar, herpetologist and evolutionary biologist Mark Scherz wrote in a Feb. 14 post on his website.
    — Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2025
Definition of highland
Noun
  • Published on April 3, 2025 By Wendy Bowman Pierre Galant Photo : Pierre Galant Photo : Pierre Galant The home is sited amid a nearly three-acre promontory on the outskirts of Los Angeles, nestled into the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley.
    — Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 3 Apr. 2025
  • One monitor, about 11 miles south of the Eaton fire in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, detected 40 times the normal amount of chlorine in the air and 110 times the typical amount of lead in the days following the fires.
    — Katharine Gammon, Scientific American, 27 Mar. 2025
Definition of foothill
Noun
  • This wave of change for SVOD led to a plateau in the growth of subscription numbers, and a plateauing in the number of subscriptions averaged globally.
    — Helen Rees, HollywoodReporter, 26 Mar. 2025
  • The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reported that absenteeism rates have doubled—rising from around 15% in 2018 to nearly 30% in 2021, and maintaining a plateau through 2023.
    — Elizabeth Austin, Time, 26 Mar. 2025
Definition of plateau

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butt
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Cite this Entry

“Butte.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butte. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.

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More from Merriam-Webster on butte

Nglish: Translation of butte for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about butte

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