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playa

American  
[plahy-uh] / ˈplaɪ ə /

noun

  1. Western U.S. the sandy, salty, or mud-caked flat floor of a desert basin having interior drainage, usually occupied by a shallow lake during or after prolonged, heavy rains.


playa British  
/ ˈplɑːjə, ˈplaja /

noun

  1. (in the US) a temporary lake, or its dry often salty bed, in a desert basin

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

playa Scientific  
/ plīə /
  1. A dry lake bed at the bottom of a desert basin, sometimes temporarily covered with water. Playas have no vegetation and are among the flattest geographical features in the world.

  2. Also called sink


Etymology

Origin of playa

1850–55, < Spanish: shore < Late Latin plagia; plage

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Partial Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss has found herself a new “retreat” where she can escape the family turmoil that erupted in the wake of her team’s $10 billion takeover—after snapping up a “rare” oceanfront dwelling in Playa del Rey for $4.2 million.

From MarketWatch

This past June, Waymo announced it would expand its service area to 120 square miles in Los Angeles County, with Waymos operating in Playa del Rey, Ladera Heights, Echo Park, Silver Lake and Hollywood.

From Los Angeles Times

She and her husband are temporarily renting in Playa del Rey, but they have decades of memories in the Alphabet Streets.

From Los Angeles Times

The board of the DWP also recently approved an $800-million plan to convert two units of its Scattergood Generating Station in Playa del Rey to run on a mixture of natural gas and green hydrogen, with a similar goal of running entirely on hydrogen as more supply becomes available.

From Los Angeles Times

The company in June announced it would be expanding its service area in Los Angeles to more than 120 square miles in the county, ferrying passengers in Playa del Rey, Ladera Hieghts, Echo Park, Silver Lake and across Sunset Boulevard.

From Los Angeles Times