savanna

noun

sa·​van·​na sə-ˈva-nə 

variants or less commonly savannah

1

: a treeless plain especially in Florida

2

a

: a tropical or subtropical grassland (as of eastern Africa or northern South America) containing scattered trees and drought-resistant undergrowth

b

: a temperate grassland with scattered trees (such as oaks)

Synonyms

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

Examples of savanna in a Sentence

lions roaming the savanna

Recent Examples on the Web

It’s known mostly for the Namib Desert coming down to the Atlantic Ocean coast, but also for mountains, canyons and savannas. —Lea Lane, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025

One of the new exhibits includes a 23-acre African savanna featuring rhinos, giraffes, cheetahs and lions, according to past reporting. —Emma Hall, Sacramento Bee, 13 Feb. 2025

Residents of Marin, and the Bay Area at large, are understandably big fans of the diverse natural landscapes of the coast ranges: forests and woodlands, savannas and marshes, ocean coast and chaparral. —Jack Gedney, The Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2025

In Brazil, huge swaths of the Amazon rainforest and Cerrado savanna have been lost to pastures and fields that produce beef and soybeans. —science.org, 26 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Spanish zavana, from Taino zabana

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for savanna

• arana
• arcana
• banana
• bandana
• bandanna
• brahmana
• cabana
• campana
• diana
• fianna
• hosanna
• hyaena

Kids Definition

savanna

noun

sa·​van·​na

variants also savannah

sə-ˈvan-ə 

: a grassland (as of eastern Africa or northern South America) containing scattered trees