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
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
Packing in some of the most scenic stretches of America’s prairies and mountains, the route follows parts of the Lewis & Clark Trail.
—
Everett Potter, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
The bison, who were reintroduced to the prairie in 2022, are part of a plan to naturalize the park’s landscape by restoring the oak savanna and prairie landscape of the past.
—Mars King, Twin Cities, 15 June 2025
Photo By Lincoln Rogers/Shutterstock Cheyenne, Wyoming Located where the grasslands and rolling prairie of the Great Plains give way to the rising foothills of the Rocky Mountains, this corner of southeastern Wyoming is Big Sky beautiful.
—Ashlea Halpern, AFAR Media, 29 Apr. 2025
This is like taking a Conestoga wagon from the prairie to the desert.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for prairie
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Everett Potter, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
The bison, who were reintroduced to the prairie in 2022, are part of a plan to naturalize the park’s landscape by restoring the oak savanna and prairie landscape of the past.
—Mars King, Twin Cities, 15 June 2025
Photo By Lincoln Rogers/Shutterstock Cheyenne, Wyoming Located where the grasslands and rolling prairie of the Great Plains give way to the rising foothills of the Rocky Mountains, this corner of southeastern Wyoming is Big Sky beautiful.
—Ashlea Halpern, AFAR Media, 29 Apr. 2025
This is like taking a Conestoga wagon from the prairie to the desert.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for prairie
Cite this Entry
“Prairie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prairie. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prairie
noun
prai·rie
ˈpre(ə)r-ē 
: a large area of level or rolling grassland
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