Sierra Nevada

American  

[see-er-uh nuh-vad-uh, -vah-duh, syer-rah ne-vah-thah] / siˈɛr ə nəˈvæd ə, -ˈvɑ də, ˈsyɛr rɑ nɛˈvɑ ðɑ /

noun

1. a mountain range in E California. Highest peak, Mt. Whitney, 14,495 feet (4,420 meters).

2. a mountain range in S Spain. Highest peak, Mulhacén, 11,420 feet (3,480 meters).

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Sierra Nevada British  

noun

1. a mountain range in E California, parallel to the Coast Ranges. Highest peak: Mount Whitney, 4418 m (14 495 ft)

2. a mountain range in SE Spain, mostly in Granada and Almería provinces. Highest peak: Cerro de Mulhacén, 3478 m (11 411 ft)

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Sierra Nevada Cultural  

1. Mountain range in eastern California.

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Discover More

Location of Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the United States outside of Alaska.

Example Sentences

With snow-capped mountains sweeping down to the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Park is one of the jewels in Colombia's tourism crown.

From Barron's • May 5, 2026

Tayrona Park and Sierra Nevada National Park together received more than 873,000 visitors last year.

From Barron's • May 5, 2026

The storm is expected to snarl roads into the Sierra Nevada, and require motorists to put chains on their tires.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2026

The Sierra Nevada snowpack provides around a third of the state’s water supply, its spring and summer runoff refilling reservoirs when the state needs the water most.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

The National Weather Service had issued a red flag warning for the Sierra Nevada range today, as they did almost every other day in the fall.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz