as in cliffs
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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of buttes
Today, visitors can spot wildlife like bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, and black-footed ferrets among the sharply eroded buttes.
—
Scott Bay,
Travel + Leisure,
2 July 2026
From the layer-cake buttes of Badlands National Park to the winding canyons of the Black Hills, this part of South Dakota is legendary.
—
Ashlea Halpern,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 July 2026
The unique red rock buttes often show up in movies, calendars and magazines.
—
Staff,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
Towering buttes shoot out of waving prairie grasses.
—
Julia Sayers Gokhale,
Midwest Living,
1 June 2026
The kitchen turns out whimsical bar food, like Mexican pizza, and wall art depicts the buttes and cacti of the Seussian desert.
—
Chris Malloy,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
14 Apr. 2026
Alaska runs along a ridge just outside of Arches National Park, offering long-range views of the park’s towers and buttes across the Salt Valley.
—
Graham Averill,
Outside,
28 Mar. 2026
As Arizona yielded to New Mexico, the dirt seemed to get redder and the ridges rose to form buttes.
—
Tribune News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Scott Bay,
Travel + Leisure,
2 July 2026
From the layer-cake buttes of Badlands National Park to the winding canyons of the Black Hills, this part of South Dakota is legendary.
—
Ashlea Halpern,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 July 2026
The unique red rock buttes often show up in movies, calendars and magazines.
—
Staff,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
Towering buttes shoot out of waving prairie grasses.
—
Julia Sayers Gokhale,
Midwest Living,
1 June 2026
The kitchen turns out whimsical bar food, like Mexican pizza, and wall art depicts the buttes and cacti of the Seussian desert.
—
Chris Malloy,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
14 Apr. 2026
Alaska runs along a ridge just outside of Arches National Park, offering long-range views of the park’s towers and buttes across the Salt Valley.
—
Graham Averill,
Outside,
28 Mar. 2026
As Arizona yielded to New Mexico, the dirt seemed to get redder and the ridges rose to form buttes.
—
Tribune News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buttes
Noun
-
California purchased the swath of rocky cliffs and windswept shoreline in the 1960s to expand the construction of Highway 1 and create a scenic viewpoint for highway travelers, according to a California Coastal Commission report.
-
Instead of sheer cliffs and waterfalls, the landscape is open and often windswept.
Noun
-
Offering stunning views of snowcapped mountains in the distance, this is a relatively flat, flowing course with plenty of birdie opportunities.
-
Southeast of the Snyder fire, the Gold Mountain fire burning north of Ouray in Colorado’s mountains also surged in size on Sunday, jumping from roughly 572 acres to 7,103 acres with no containment, according to state officials.
Noun
-
Its mesas, arches and deep canyons give the stars a dramatic stage, especially from remote viewpoints away from direct artificial light.
-
Latinos have always been an intrinsic feature of the Western Slope’s socioeconomic landscape, as ubiquitous as the area’s mountains, mesas and canyons.
Noun
-
The Simbari people of Papua New Guinea’s eastern highlands separate boys from their mothers around the age of nine.
-
The Macallan Importantly, this is the first time that Macallan fans will be able to have this type of experience without going through global travel retail or venturing into the heart of the remote Scottish highlands.
Noun
-
The campground offers hiking, backpacking, wildlife viewing and fishing amid towering mountain peaks, alpine lakes and dense forest.
-
Chance of lightning increases as a thunderstorm approaches and peaks when the storm is overhead.
Cite this Entry
“Buttes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buttes. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
