as in cliffs
a type of hill with a flat top and steep sides that is found in the southwestern U.S.
The otherworldly sandstone buttes of Monument Valley, Arizona are well worth a visit.
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Recent Examples of buttes
Alaska runs along a ridge just outside of Arches National Park, offering long-range views of the park’s towers and buttes across the Salt Valley.
—
Graham Averill, Outside, 28 Mar. 2026
As Arizona yielded to New Mexico, the dirt seemed to get redder and the ridges rose to form buttes.
—Tribune News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Hike through the poppies on a short series of moderate trails that run just a few miles in length, affording views of the poppy fields and surrounding buttes.
—Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
Within minutes, guests can be standing beneath the stone arches of Arches National Park, 4 miles away, or surveying mesas and buttes in Canyonlands National Park, 30 miles southwest, where the Colorado and Green rivers have carved the landscape for centuries.
—Cari Shane, USA Today, 15 Oct. 2025
Enchantment's accommodations include casitas and suites, with designs and decor inspired by the Southwest desert landscape and views of Sedona's red rock buttes.
—Michael Salerno, AZCentral.com, 9 Oct. 2025
Graham Averill, Outside, 28 Mar. 2026
As Arizona yielded to New Mexico, the dirt seemed to get redder and the ridges rose to form buttes.
—Tribune News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Hike through the poppies on a short series of moderate trails that run just a few miles in length, affording views of the poppy fields and surrounding buttes.
—Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
Within minutes, guests can be standing beneath the stone arches of Arches National Park, 4 miles away, or surveying mesas and buttes in Canyonlands National Park, 30 miles southwest, where the Colorado and Green rivers have carved the landscape for centuries.
—Cari Shane, USA Today, 15 Oct. 2025
Enchantment's accommodations include casitas and suites, with designs and decor inspired by the Southwest desert landscape and views of Sedona's red rock buttes.
—Michael Salerno, AZCentral.com, 9 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buttes
Noun
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The area's geography of tall seaside cliffs and sharp mountain ridges can contribute to turbulent air and quick weather changes that pose hazards for aviation.—
JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
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The Na Pali Coast’s towering cliffs and sharp ridges create turbulent air currents and sudden weather changes that pose significant aviation hazards.—
Jennifer Sinco Kelleher,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The McLaughlin's spring break vacation to Colorado's mountains required a hard shift in plans following a historically warm and dry winter.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
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The storms delivered heavy rainfall directly into the Lake Tahoe basin, while also dumping substantial snowfall across the surrounding mountains.—
Amanda Greenwood,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Tectonic movement has shaped San Diego County into a rough collection of valleys, foothills, urban canyons and mesas.—
The San Diego Union Tribune,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Mar. 2026
-
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,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Ronnie Moyers heard the bird hammering in the woods one morning in late February, several weeks before the species usually shows up in Virginia’s western highlands.—
Sarah Kaplan,
Washington Post,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Thailand Located in the northern highlands of Thailand in Chiang Mai province, Doi Inthanon National Park is the picture of combined natural grandeur and cultural richness.—
Jasmine Ting,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The first was a gentle bell curve; the second was a jagged line, with two sharp peaks—one on the left, the other on the right.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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While the 1970s and 80s had some peaks in the data, there is a definite trend in average wind gusts from 1990 to the present.—
Ray Petelin,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Buttes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buttes. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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