mesa

noun

me·​sa ˈmā-sə 

: an isolated relatively flat-topped natural elevation usually more extensive than a butte and less extensive than a plateau

also : a broad terrace with an abrupt slope on one side : bench

Synonyms of mesa

• plateau
• highland
• tableland

Examples of mesa in a Sentence

a mesa in the Arizona desert

Recent Examples on the Web

Inspired by the region’s terrain of flat desert basins, mesas, and canyons, residents of New Mexico are drawn to this shade the most. — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 15 Sep. 2026

Los Alamos, not far from Santa Fe, sits at the foot of Pajarito Mountain in a land of canyons and mesas. — Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026

Beginning in the late 1960s, artists abandoned galleries in favour of deserts, salt flats, mesas, and remote terrain, using these surroundings as both setting and material. — Lara Johnson-Wheeler, Vogue, 3 July 2026

Together, Groves and Oppenheimer chose an isolated mesa near Los Alamos, New Mexico, where a secret laboratory—and eventually a secret city—would be built to design the world's first atomic bomb. — Rebecca Coffey, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, literally, table, from Latin mensa

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

mesa

noun

me·​sa ˈmā-sə 

: a flat-topped hill or small plateau with steep sides

Etymology

Spanish, literally, "table"

Geographical Definition

Mesa

geographical name

Me·​sa ˈmā-sə 

city east of Phoenix in southwest central Arizona