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
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
The earthen walls hold back the rain that rolls down the vast Texas prairies, through Houston, on its way to the gulf.
—
Laura Sullivan, NPR, 8 June 2025
The presentation also will take a deep dive into the different plants and animals found in prairies, as well as the methods land managers use to preserve this valuable landscape, event organizers said.
—Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2025
Future work in native shortgrass prairies would provide new information about how solar panels affect plant water use, soils and grazing management in an ecosystem with 30% less precipitation than Jack’s Solar Garden.
—Matthew Sturchio, The Conversation, 30 May 2025
Native to the open prairies of the Great Plains, these elusive, nocturnal predators rely almost entirely on prairie dogs for both food and shelter.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prairie
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Laura Sullivan, NPR, 8 June 2025
The presentation also will take a deep dive into the different plants and animals found in prairies, as well as the methods land managers use to preserve this valuable landscape, event organizers said.
—Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2025
Future work in native shortgrass prairies would provide new information about how solar panels affect plant water use, soils and grazing management in an ecosystem with 30% less precipitation than Jack’s Solar Garden.
—Matthew Sturchio, The Conversation, 30 May 2025
Native to the open prairies of the Great Plains, these elusive, nocturnal predators rely almost entirely on prairie dogs for both food and shelter.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prairie
Cite this Entry
“Prairie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prairie. Accessed 15 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prairie
noun
prai·rie
ˈpre(ə)r-ē 
: a large area of level or rolling grassland
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