buttes

noun

plural of butte
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.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of buttes The $450 million carbon-neutral library blends seamlessly into the rolling buttes. — Alicia Underlee Nelson, Midwest Living, 7 Aug. 2026 Each summer, runners carry prayers more than 50 miles from the town of Bluff, Utah, to the high country below the buttes, and the White Mesa Ute community beside the monument holds its Bear Dance each year. — Kerri J. Malloy, The Conversation, 23 July 2026 Today, visitors can spot wildlife like bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, and black-footed ferrets among the sharply eroded buttes. — Scott Bay, Travel + Leisure, 2 July 2026 From the layer-cake buttes of Badlands National Park to the winding canyons of the Black Hills, this part of South Dakota is legendary. — Ashlea Halpern, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 July 2026 The unique red rock buttes often show up in movies, calendars and magazines. — Staff, USA Today, 8 June 2026 The kitchen turns out whimsical bar food, like Mexican pizza, and wall art depicts the buttes and cacti of the Seussian desert. — Chris Malloy, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Apr. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buttes
  1. cliffs
  2. mountains
  3. mesas
  4. highlands
  5. peaks
Noun
  • Perched high in the cliffs, built into the rock face overlooking the sea, and within view of the sweet fishing village of Conca dei Marini, the property is just a quick drive to Amalfi, but still feels a million miles away from the tourists.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
  • When Jonathan Coop was a child growing up in northern New Mexico, the Jemez Mountains were a playground of towering volcanic cliffs and expansive conifer forests.
    — Sarah Kaplan, Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of cliffs
Noun
  • That creates an enormous range of possible eclipse trips, from the Mediterranean coast and the mountains of southern Spain to historic cities, archaeological sites and desert landscapes across North Africa.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 3 Oct. 2026
  • For the next 20 minutes, Hutzler flies at a leisurely 35 mph (56 kph) above the expansive fields around Pueblo, a city near the Front Range mountains.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of mountains
Noun
  • 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
Definition of mesas
Noun
  • After posting a picture on a random rock in the Turkish highlands on Instagram, Salah has transformed the spot into a tourist attraction, with droves of fans making the pilgrimage.
    — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Several factors were in place to trigger the collapse of PLC forces on the Red Sea coast that are not in place for the southwest highlands.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of highlands
Noun
  • That album drew Simmons’ bass and Bindeman’s drums to the fore of the mix, letting Harris’ guitar and vocals foam behind the rhythm section’s discrete peaks.
    — Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The adventure began with the helicopter soaring over breathtaking landscapes of alpine peaks and turquoise waters, before touching down at the bay.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of peaks

Browse Nearby Words

buttery
buttes
butt heads
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Buttes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buttes. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All