as in plains
a broad area of level or rolling treeless country
nomads have long grazed yaks on the steppes of Mongolia
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Recent Examples of steppes
Longer-running hiking trips take you everywhere from Western Greenland to the sea cliffs of the Faroe Islands, the steppes of Mongolia, or the Tien Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan.
—
The Editors, Outside, 18 Mar. 2026
Folktales are filled with people fighting to survive in forests, steppes, and deserts, and evading and outwitting the wild beasts that dwell within them.
—Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
Even today, its influence stretches from the steppes of Kazakhstan to the far reaches of low Earth orbit.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 15 Feb. 2026
Rather than having to find their own sales channels, participating farmers working off tiny plots on mountain steppes can sell their corn to the company at a set price for unified processing, before the corn is sold online and to major distributors.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2026
All 40 rooms in the low-lying, two-story building look onto the park’s iconic towers, with large windows to catch Patagonia’s expansive steppes and skies.
—Sarah Marshall, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
Unlike Argentina’s open steppes, Chilean Patagonia hugs the Pacific coast and is carved by glacial valleys covered in with dense vegetation.
—Eric Sheets, Travel + Leisure, 5 Dec. 2025
The gene expression in the muscle tissue suggested a predominance of slow-twitch muscle fibers indicating the mammoth's muscles were built for stamina, ideal for long, steady travel across the cold, expansive steppes.
—Jay Kakade
december 03, New Atlas, 3 Dec. 2025
In Mongolia’s eastern steppes, an initiative implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is helping farmers revive more than 11,000 hectares of cropland through no-till farming and intercropping—restoring productivity while protecting ecosystems.
—Kaveh Zahedi, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
The Editors, Outside, 18 Mar. 2026
Folktales are filled with people fighting to survive in forests, steppes, and deserts, and evading and outwitting the wild beasts that dwell within them.
—Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
Even today, its influence stretches from the steppes of Kazakhstan to the far reaches of low Earth orbit.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 15 Feb. 2026
Rather than having to find their own sales channels, participating farmers working off tiny plots on mountain steppes can sell their corn to the company at a set price for unified processing, before the corn is sold online and to major distributors.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2026
All 40 rooms in the low-lying, two-story building look onto the park’s iconic towers, with large windows to catch Patagonia’s expansive steppes and skies.
—Sarah Marshall, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
Unlike Argentina’s open steppes, Chilean Patagonia hugs the Pacific coast and is carved by glacial valleys covered in with dense vegetation.
—Eric Sheets, Travel + Leisure, 5 Dec. 2025
The gene expression in the muscle tissue suggested a predominance of slow-twitch muscle fibers indicating the mammoth's muscles were built for stamina, ideal for long, steady travel across the cold, expansive steppes.
—Jay Kakade
december 03, New Atlas, 3 Dec. 2025
In Mongolia’s eastern steppes, an initiative implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is helping farmers revive more than 11,000 hectares of cropland through no-till farming and intercropping—restoring productivity while protecting ecosystems.
—Kaveh Zahedi, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for steppes
Noun
-
This makes the country the only place in East Africa in which to see gorillas (in Volcanoes NP), chimpanzees (in Nyungwe NP), and lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and white and black rhino, alongside plains game and over 550 species of birds (in Akagera NP).—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
-
On the plains, grasshoppers could become a bigger nuisance as their natural food sources disappear.—
Callie Zanandrie,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In warmer months, the region’s woodlands, meadows, and prairies fill with vibrant blossoms of all sorts that attract a whole host of pollinators.—
Erika Ebsworth-Goold,
Midwest Living,
20 Apr. 2026
-
As a native to prairies, meadows, and open woods, this garden favorite cannot tolerate having 'wet feet' and requires the optimal drainage sandy soil provides.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
While access is currently limited, the park’s managing authority TANAPA have given the go-ahead for several new roads winding around towering kopjes, through grasslands and along a river.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
24 Apr. 2026
-
For Brazil, this means expanding sugarcane into the Cerrado, the world’s largest grasslands and home to many endemic and threatened species.—
Nithin Coca,
semafor.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Earth’s biosphere includes microbes, forests, savannas, animals, and more.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Elephants are among the planet’s most majestic creatures, gentle giants who walk steadfastly through the savannas, forests and deserts of Africa and Asia.—
Catherine Garcia,
TheWeek,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Steppes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/steppes. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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