sierra
noun
a chain of hills or mountains, the peaks of which suggest the teeth of a saw.
sierra
American
[see-er-uh]
/ siˈɛr ə /
noun
-
sierras
plural
-
a chain of hills or mountains, the peaks of which suggest the teeth of a saw.
-
any of several Spanish mackerels of the genus Scomberomorus, especially S. sierra, found in western North America.
-
a word used in communications to represent the letter S.
Sierra
1
British
/ sɪˈɛərə /
noun
sierra
2
British
/ sɪˈɛərə /
noun
sierra
Scientific
/ sē-ĕr′ə /
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of sierra
1590–1600; < Spanish: literally, saw < Latin serra
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.
See Examples For:
In this recipe, which is adapted from “The Food of Oaxaca,” chef and author Alejandro Ruiz recommends sierra or mahi-mahi, which are caught off the coast of Puerto Escondido in Oaxaca.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 26, 2021
I bypassed Juchitán, circumvented Tehuantepec and entered the hills, climbing back into the sierra, sun-dried, dust-blown and arid — the biscuit-brown, baked-looking mountains of upland Oaxaca.
From New York Times ● Sep. 23, 2019
The sierra and Gran Parque Natural Topes de Collantes, where you’ll find the Caburní waterfall, are a popular day trip from Trinidad, though most people head to Parque el Cubano, which borders Trinidad.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 24, 2018
Numb to greatness, a humdrum appreciation comes with his sierra of staggering statistics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2018
The hamlet hung on the steep slope of the sierra, whose snow-clad heights and jagged peaks, towering away into cloud-land, gave us a fair forecast of the labours in store.
From Wild Spain (Espa?a agreste) Records of Sport with Rifle, Rod, and Gun, Natural History Exploration by Walter J. Buck
Mater Dei beat Sierra Canyon, 25-18, 25-17, in the gold division final at the Durango Fall Classic in September before suffering its only loss to Trinity League rival Santa Margarita 11 days later.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2026
In January 2025, Dutch police said he was believed to be living in Sierra Leone and going by the name Omar Sherrif.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
Dutch prosecutors have demanded his extradition but Sierra Leone has refused to cooperate, prompting the EU to cut some aid to the country.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
Finally, does Sierra Canyon have a quarterback who can avoid mistakes and deliver one or two key completions with the game on the line?
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026
After the ninth question was answered, Marjory Muldauer, Sierra Russell, and a girl from Knoxville, Tennessee, named Jennifer Greene were all tied for first place.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
Currently, the western sierras are densely wooded, and that isn’t necessarily the best model for the forests to get through fires, said Thomas Scott, an expert on wildfire at the University of California, Berkeley.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 18, 2018
Our water comes from Hetch Hetchy in the sierras.
From New York Times ● Dec. 29, 2017
When the sierras received more precipitation and were frequently snow covered, this animal is believed to have occurred in the soil on the surface.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 31, 2017
He’ll be remembered as much if not more as a tragic caudillo, a reminder that revolutionaries are usually a lot less romantic when they come down from the sierras and govern.
From Time ● Nov. 26, 2016
The train clicked by the Union Stock Yards, doubly pungent in the day’s strange warmth, and skirted sierras of black coal capped with grimy melting snow.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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