as in plains
a broad area of level or rolling treeless country
nomads have long grazed yaks on the steppes of Mongolia
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Recent Examples of steppes
All 40 rooms in the low-lying, two-story building look onto the park’s iconic towers, with large windows to catch Patagonia’s expansive steppes and skies.
—
Sarah Marshall, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
Unlike Argentina’s open steppes, Chilean Patagonia hugs the Pacific coast and is carved by glacial valleys covered in with dense vegetation.
—Eric Sheets, Travel + Leisure, 5 Dec. 2025
The gene expression in the muscle tissue suggested a predominance of slow-twitch muscle fibers indicating the mammoth's muscles were built for stamina, ideal for long, steady travel across the cold, expansive steppes.
—Jay Kakade
december 03, New Atlas, 3 Dec. 2025
In Mongolia’s eastern steppes, an initiative implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is helping farmers revive more than 11,000 hectares of cropland through no-till farming and intercropping—restoring productivity while protecting ecosystems.
—Kaveh Zahedi, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
The mighty Sino-Spanish Empire balloons to rule much of Asia, and then expands westward, across the Central Asian steppes.
—Big Think, 29 Oct. 2025
Mongolia’s vast steppes and nomadic heritage have long shaped the rhythms of life.
—Munkhtuya Rentsenbat, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Sarah Marshall, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
Unlike Argentina’s open steppes, Chilean Patagonia hugs the Pacific coast and is carved by glacial valleys covered in with dense vegetation.
—Eric Sheets, Travel + Leisure, 5 Dec. 2025
The gene expression in the muscle tissue suggested a predominance of slow-twitch muscle fibers indicating the mammoth's muscles were built for stamina, ideal for long, steady travel across the cold, expansive steppes.
—Jay Kakade
december 03, New Atlas, 3 Dec. 2025
In Mongolia’s eastern steppes, an initiative implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is helping farmers revive more than 11,000 hectares of cropland through no-till farming and intercropping—restoring productivity while protecting ecosystems.
—Kaveh Zahedi, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
The mighty Sino-Spanish Empire balloons to rule much of Asia, and then expands westward, across the Central Asian steppes.
—Big Think, 29 Oct. 2025
Mongolia’s vast steppes and nomadic heritage have long shaped the rhythms of life.
—Munkhtuya Rentsenbat, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for steppes
Noun
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It is located on a ranch in the high plains of New Mexico outside Sante Fe, with stirring views of the Sandia, Ortiz and Sangre de Cristo mountain ranges.—
Allison Aubrey,
NPR,
9 Feb. 2026
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Desire, which has been his guide during the hours of riding on horseback across the plains, leaves him no peace.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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Elordi strides naturally through the film’s burning-of-Atlanta orange sunscapes and its grasslands stabbed by obsidian spikes of rock.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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Wildfires have also ravaged grasslands used to graze cattle, according to the White House.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The experience there usually involves wide-open savannas and convoys of jeeps lined up to take in the wildebeest and zebras passing through in the millions during the Great Migration.—
Nicholas DeRenzo,
Travel + Leisure,
13 Jan. 2026
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Serval cats roam savannahs and wetlands.—
Kaicey Baylor,
CBS News,
10 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Steppes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/steppes. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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