as in mountain
a type of hill with a flat top and steep sides that is found in the southwestern U.S.
The otherworldly sandstone buttes of Monument Valley, Arizona are well worth a visit.
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Recent Examples of butte
Enchantment's accommodations include casitas and suites, with designs and decor inspired by the Southwest desert landscape and views of Sedona's red rock buttes.
—
Michael Salerno, AZCentral.com, 9 Oct. 2025
Courses are high-quality desert golf with lots of elevation changes, exposed rocks, and a few dramatic signature holes, most famously the third on the Mountain course, a short par-three with a tee on a cliff and the green atop a rocky butte.
—Larry Olmsted, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
No eyes, no nose, just a butte with shadows.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
Their conclusion from this is that the mesas and buttes are the remains of what was once a far larger plateau, which was largely eroded away on the side facing the northern basin.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for butte
Michael Salerno, AZCentral.com, 9 Oct. 2025
Courses are high-quality desert golf with lots of elevation changes, exposed rocks, and a few dramatic signature holes, most famously the third on the Mountain course, a short par-three with a tee on a cliff and the green atop a rocky butte.
—Larry Olmsted, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
No eyes, no nose, just a butte with shadows.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
Their conclusion from this is that the mesas and buttes are the remains of what was once a far larger plateau, which was largely eroded away on the side facing the northern basin.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for butte
Recent Examples of Synonyms for butte
Noun
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The plane crashed in a very remote part of Emerald Mountain, a mountain with hiking and biking trails just across the Yampa River from Steamboat Springs, Routt County Sheriff Doug Scherar said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
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Mountain travel was highly discouraged, according to the weather service, with snow reducing visibility, causing major delays and prompting chain controls likely on Interstate 80 and other mountain passes.—
Michael McGough
February 14,
Sacbee.com,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The striking latticework rectangles of Alila Uluwatu, an all-villa resort set high on a cliff on the Bukit Peninsula, has become an icon for contemporary Bali.—
Juliet Kinsman,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Instead of sandy beaches, its dark volcanic cliffs drop abruptly into the sea.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Think again, as the California Zephyr, the longest route in America crosses through seven states, carving up Colorado’s canyons, then passing into Utah where the sun ignites mesas into flaming towers of rock.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Jan. 2026
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Beyond cost, Purple Line development will face a high degree of difficulty because of the topography of mesas and valleys.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Set in the remote highlands of Montenegro, the film tells the story of a shepherd mother and her daughter who proudly defend their ancestral mountain from the threat of becoming a NATO military training ground, stirring memories of past violence that once shattered their family.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
5 Feb. 2026
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About one hour east, deep within the highlands of the Khotokha Valley, the 20-room Farm Retreat will debut later this year ($800 per night, all-inclusive, two-night minimum).—
Jen Murphy,
Outside,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Tiffany Yap, urban wildlands science director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in addition, the status upgrade can influence foothill and mountain development land use.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
28 Jan. 2026
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About a third of Californians live in what’s called the wildland-urban-interface, where human settlements overlap with wildlife habitat like forests, mountain foothills or desert open space, Crowfoot said.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The result was a tibial plateau fracture in her left leg.—
Chadd Cripe,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Feb. 2026
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Then, in early 2025, her weight loss hit a plateau.—
Bethany Brookshire,
Scientific American,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Butte.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butte. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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