prairie

noun

prai·​rie ˈprer-ē 

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

• campo
• champaign
• down(s)
• grassland
• heath
• lea
• ley
• llano
• moor
• pampa
• plain
• savanna
• savannah
• steppe
• tundra
• veld
• veldt

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

Ever since a devastating tornado encounter, Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) gave up chasing storms across the Oklahoma prairie to safely study them on screens in New York City. —Jordan Moreau, Variety, 21 Oct. 2024

Smarsh goes back to glacial retreat to outline the history of the prairie and its importance as a vast ecosystem, at one time an abundant home for plants and wildlife alike. —Krista Stevens, Longreads, 4 Sep. 2024

This old style of hunting isn’t specific to the Canadian prairie, either. —Joe Genzel, Outdoor Life, 4 Sep. 2024

Daines likes to target big game such as elk and antelope while Thune likes to hunt pheasant in South Dakota’s fields and prairies, which are considered the best pheasant hunting ground in the country. —Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, from Old French praierie, from Vulgar Latin *prataria, from Latin pratum meadow

First Known Use

circa 1682, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing prairie

• prairie chicken
• prairie dog
• prairie schooner
• prairie soil
• prairie wolf
• short-grass prairie
• tallgrass prairie

Kids Definition

prairie

noun

prai·​rie ˈpre(ə)r-ē 

: a large area of level or rolling grassland