butte

noun

: an isolated hill or mountain with steep or precipitous sides usually having a smaller summit area than a mesa

Examples of butte in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The towering features are similar to the buttes and mesas of Monument Valley along the Arizona-Utah border. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 26 Jan. 2025 Rather than focusing on the plateau itself, the work focuses on the neighboring lowlands, which include a large region dotted with thousands of buttes and mesas that rise roughly a kilometer above the surrounding plains. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 20 Jan. 2025 Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota The buttes, bluffs, and pinnacles of the North Dakota badlands make for desirable backpacking come summer. Erica Zazo, Outside Online, 9 Jan. 2025 Enchantment Resort Sedona, Arizona Snowbirds traveling south for winter can still catch white peaks on red-rock buttes in the high desert. Meira Gebel, Axios, 23 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for butte 

Word History

Etymology

French, knoll, from Middle French bute

First Known Use

1805, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of butte was in 1805

Dictionary Entries Near butte

Cite this Entry

“Butte.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/butte. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

butte

noun
: a hill with steep sides standing in a flat area

Geographical Definition

Butte

geographical name

city in southwestern Montana on a plateau in the Rockies population 32,996

More from Merriam-Webster on butte

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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