: an isolated relatively flat-topped natural elevation usually more extensive than a butte and less extensive than a plateau
also
: a broad terrace with an abrupt slope on one side : bench
Examples of mesa in a Sentence
a mesa in the Arizona desert
Recent Examples on the Web
Double the distance for an out-and-back route that showcases the park’s most dramatic features: towering spires, vast mesas, and delicate hoodoos.
—
Outside Online, 8 Aug. 2024
The trail remains level until brushing past Porter Tank and then ascends a low mesa.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 2 Aug. 2024
Sky Village at Canyon of the Ancients Guest Ranch
Cortez, Colorado
Hidden among the mesas and grassy valleys of the arid Colorado Plateau lies one of my favorite Milky Way–watching lookouts on the continent: Canyon of the Ancients Guest Ranch.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Outside Online, 1 Aug. 2024
The city was built on a plateau, or mesa, above the Valley.
—Shelby Slade, The Arizona Republic, 25 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for mesa 
Outside Online, 8 Aug. 2024
The trail remains level until brushing past Porter Tank and then ascends a low mesa.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 2 Aug. 2024
Sky Village at Canyon of the Ancients Guest Ranch
Cortez, Colorado
Hidden among the mesas and grassy valleys of the arid Colorado Plateau lies one of my favorite Milky Way–watching lookouts on the continent: Canyon of the Ancients Guest Ranch.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Outside Online, 1 Aug. 2024
The city was built on a plateau, or mesa, above the Valley.
—Shelby Slade, The Arizona Republic, 25 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for mesa
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mesa.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near mesa
Cite this Entry
“Mesa.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mesa. Accessed 12 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mesa
noun
me·sa
ˈmā-sə 
: a flat-topped hill or small plateau with steep sides
Etymology
Spanish, literally, "table"
Geographical Definition
Mesa
geographical name
Me·sa
ˈmā-sə
city east of Phoenix in southwest central Arizona population 439,041
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