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
On the other hand, as the planet continues to warm even more dramatically, the Colorado transplants could become marooned on a metaphoric island, surrounded by forbidding heat, inhospitable prairie, and habitat-destroying development.
—
Christine Peterson, Vox, 1 July 2024
Start at the Schoolhouse and enjoy a fun hike across a prairie, through a marsh, climb an esker, circle a kettle lake and look for the elusive green dragon.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 27 June 2024
From the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans white with foam.
—Michael Collins, USA TODAY, 1 June 2024
Stop in Morocco to see bison roam the prairie at the Kankakee Sands nature preserve.
—Caroline Eubanks, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 May 2023
See all Example Sentences for prairie 
Christine Peterson, Vox, 1 July 2024
Start at the Schoolhouse and enjoy a fun hike across a prairie, through a marsh, climb an esker, circle a kettle lake and look for the elusive green dragon.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 27 June 2024
From the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans white with foam.
—Michael Collins, USA TODAY, 1 June 2024
Stop in Morocco to see bison roam the prairie at the Kankakee Sands nature preserve.
—Caroline Eubanks, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 May 2023
See all Example Sentences for prairie
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.
Dictionary Entries Near prairie
Cite this Entry
“Prairie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prairie. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prairie
noun
prai·rie
ˈpre(ə)r-ē 
: a large area of level or rolling grassland
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