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
Synonyms
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
Hang on to your bonnets, y’all—Laura Ingalls Wilder is making her way back to the prairie.
—
Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 30 Jan. 2025
Located along a longtime migratory path on Lake Michigan, Cook County attracts a wide variety of birds to the lakefront, as well as forest preserves, wetlands and prairies.
—Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 29 Jan. 2025
Some residents fear the new development is ruining the quiet country lifestyle that attracted them to the area in the first place, while others have resigned themselves to the idea that Fort Worth’s growth will eventually envelop the prairies that nurtured the city’s cowboy heritage.
—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Jan. 2025
Silos and grain elevators loom over flat prairies at the Archer Daniels Midland processing facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
—Mark Dent, thehustle.co, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for prairie 
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Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 30 Jan. 2025
Located along a longtime migratory path on Lake Michigan, Cook County attracts a wide variety of birds to the lakefront, as well as forest preserves, wetlands and prairies.
—Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 29 Jan. 2025
Some residents fear the new development is ruining the quiet country lifestyle that attracted them to the area in the first place, while others have resigned themselves to the idea that Fort Worth’s growth will eventually envelop the prairies that nurtured the city’s cowboy heritage.
—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Jan. 2025
Silos and grain elevators loom over flat prairies at the Archer Daniels Midland processing facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
—Mark Dent, thehustle.co, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for prairie
Dictionary Entries Near prairie
Cite this Entry
“Prairie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prairie. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prairie
noun
prai·rie
ˈpre(ə)r-ē 
: a large area of level or rolling grassland
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