: 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
Examples of mesa in a Sentence
a mesa in the Arizona desert
Recent Examples on the Web
Photograph: Backcountry Deuter Kid Comfort Active Carrier for $203 ($67 off)
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, 30 Nov. 2024
The area with the greatest foot traffic includes roughly 7,000 square miles that encompasses beaches, mesas, an inland mountain range, canyons and high desert.
—Bethany Blankley | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 26 Oct. 2024
In one of many hidden rooms inside the labyrinth of Life and Trust, the floor turned into the soft earth of a corral, the walls were painted with a view of red-rock mesas, and a performer in a cowboy getup was circling another man who happened to be wearing a horse mask.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 1 Aug. 2024
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, 26 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mesa 
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.
Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 30 Nov. 2024
The area with the greatest foot traffic includes roughly 7,000 square miles that encompasses beaches, mesas, an inland mountain range, canyons and high desert.
—Bethany Blankley | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 26 Oct. 2024
In one of many hidden rooms inside the labyrinth of Life and Trust, the floor turned into the soft earth of a corral, the walls were painted with a view of red-rock mesas, and a performer in a cowboy getup was circling another man who happened to be wearing a horse mask.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 1 Aug. 2024
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, 26 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mesa
Dictionary Entries Near mesa
Cite this Entry
“Mesa.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mesa. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share