mesa

noun

me·​sa ˈmā-sə 

: an isolated relatively flat-topped natural elevation usually more extensive than a butte and less extensive than a plateau

also : a broad terrace with an abrupt slope on one side : bench

Synonyms

• altiplano
• plateau
• table
• tableland

Examples of mesa in a Sentence

a mesa in the Arizona desert

Recent Examples on the Web

On one side are the winding Snake River and a sloping mesa. —Nick Rosenberger, Idaho Statesman, 17 Mar. 2025

World & Nation Column One: This newspaper has never forgotten the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre — and its fight continues May 22, 2020 More than sweeping landscapes Biden’s designations have gone beyond the canyons and mesas of the West. —Susan Montoya Bryan, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024

The unusual features resemble the famed buttes and mesas of Monument Valley along the Arizona-Utah border. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 25 Jan. 2025

Backcountry My kid started his hiking career in this pack, which carried him from the mountains of Colorado to the hot barren mesas of Chaco Canyon. —Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 29 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, literally, table, from Latin mensa

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

mesa

noun

me·​sa ˈmā-sə 

: a flat-topped hill or small plateau with steep sides

Etymology

Spanish, literally, "table"

Geographical Definition

Mesa

geographical name

Me·​sa ˈmā-sə 

city east of Phoenix in southwest central Arizona population 439,041