Sierra Madre

American  

[see-er-uh mah-drey, syer-rah mah-thre] / siˈɛr ə ˈmɑ dreɪ, ˈsyɛr rɑ ˈmɑ ðrɛ /

noun

1. a mountain range extending from S Wyoming into N Colorado.

2. two parallel mountain chains in Mexico, bordering the central plateau on the E and W, and extending SE into N Guatemala.

3. a town in S California.

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Sierra Madre British  

/ ˈsjɛrra ˈmaðre /

noun

1. (functioning as singular) the main mountain system of Mexico, extending for 2500 km (1500 miles) southeast from the N border: consists of the Sierra Madre Oriental in the east, the Sierra Madre Occidental in the west, and the Sierra Madre del Sur in the south. Highest peak: Citlaltépetl, 5636 m (18 492 ft) (disputed)

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Example Sentences

Mr. Enrigue follows both groups on their hazardous journeys into the Sierra Madre, and the writing, translated by Natasha Wimmer, yields all the pleasures of a first-rate adventure with none of the sentimentality.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

The two had a romance in the postcard-perfect city, where high-rise condos climb hillsides as fishing boats bob off the coast—all framed by the Sierra Madre mountains.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

Four floats — from the cities of Burbank and Sierra Madre, the Walt Disney Co., and Trader Joe’s — broke down amid the wet conditions.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 1, 2026

The 5.5-mile parade route begins on Orange Grove Boulevard, then turns east onto Colorado for the bulk of the trek before ending at Sierra Madre Boulevard.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 31, 2025

The Sierra Madre mountains are so stark and impossibly tall that they fill me with an inexplicable panic.

From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez