steppe

noun

1
: one of the vast usually level and treeless tracts in southeastern Europe or Asia
2
: arid land with xerophilous vegetation found usually in regions of extreme temperature range and loess soil

Examples of steppe in a Sentence

nomads have long grazed yaks on the steppes of Mongolia
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Modern Europeans descend from three main ancestral populations: hunter-gatherers who colonized the continent by around 40,000 years ago, early farmers from Anatolia who came into Europe about 8,500 years ago, and pastoralists from the Pontic-Caspian steppe who arrived around 5,000 years ago. Kermit Pattison, Scientific American, 20 May 2025 Adrenaline junkies might head to the new Husky Lodge, opening this June, a ten-ger camp in the steppe of the Uvurkhangai region. AFAR Media, 25 Apr. 2025 During this time, mammoths were still grazing the northern steppes and sheep would not be domesticated for another 5,000 years or so. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 17 Apr. 2025 Why Europe can't defend itself without Trump: The winter bitterness of Romania's steppe was not the only chill as NATO soldiers exercised just miles from Ukraine last month. Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for steppe

Word History

Etymology

Russian step'

First Known Use

1671, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of steppe was in 1671

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Cite this Entry

“Steppe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steppe. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

steppe

noun
: land in regions of wide temperature range (as in southeastern Europe and parts of Asia) that is dry, usually rather level, and covered with grass

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