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
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
The trail is a high sierra alpine environment that reaches between 8,000 and 12,000 feet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2016
He stopped driving his taxi through the dirt roads of the sierra.
From New York Times ● Sep. 26, 2015
We crossed the ridge of the sierra and entered an upland valley beyond, where, in a tall poplar, standing slightly apart, was a rather small nest containing a single eaglet.
From Wild Spain (Espa?a agreste) Records of Sport with Rifle, Rod, and Gun, Natural History Exploration by Walter J. Buck
That didn’t stop catastrophes like the 2018 fire in the Sierra foothills that destroyed the town of Paradise and killed 85.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
First protected in 1864, Yosemite National Park in California's Sierra Nevada mountains is internationally acclaimed for its spectacular granite cliffs, glaciers, waterfalls, sequoia trees and wildlife.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
It adds that FY 2027 unit cost guidance is better than Barrenjoey expected at Sierra Gorda and Cannington, but worse at Gemco.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
South32’s estimates for volumes at Sierra Gorda are also higher than expected.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
“That’s our first twelve!” said Miguel when he and Sierra filled the lowest shelf of the library cart with their first two armloads of books.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
The story of Maoism’s travels takes in the tea plantations of north India, the sierras of the Andes, Paris’s 5th arrondissement, the fields of Tanzania, rice paddies in Cambodia and terraces in Brixton.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 16, 2019
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
