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 of prairie
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
Brenna Hernandez European buckthorn grows in sun and shade alike, and thus can invade all kinds of biomes — woodlands , savannas, prairies, pastures, and even empty lots, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources noted.
—
Adam Harrington, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
It is often found in heavily disturbed sites, such as roadsides, gravel pits and the edges of agricultural fields, but it can also be found in undisturbed dunes, dry prairies, oak and pine woodlands and rangeland.
—Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Saturday’s program will cover key aspects of the lab’s organization, the village of Weston that once occupied part of the site, science, art and the lab’s natural areas, including Fermilab’s prairie restoration and growing bison herd, museum officials said.
—Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026
Once out of the prairie in western Minnesota, the scenery got more conventional, with more towns, as well as larger cities.
—Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prairie
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Adam Harrington, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
It is often found in heavily disturbed sites, such as roadsides, gravel pits and the edges of agricultural fields, but it can also be found in undisturbed dunes, dry prairies, oak and pine woodlands and rangeland.
—Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Saturday’s program will cover key aspects of the lab’s organization, the village of Weston that once occupied part of the site, science, art and the lab’s natural areas, including Fermilab’s prairie restoration and growing bison herd, museum officials said.
—Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026
Once out of the prairie in western Minnesota, the scenery got more conventional, with more towns, as well as larger cities.
—Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prairie
Cite this Entry
“Prairie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prairie. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prairie
noun
prai·rie
ˈpre(ə)r-ē 
: a large area of level or rolling grassland
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