steppe

American  

[step] / stɛp /

noun

• steppes
  plural

1. an extensive plain, especially one without trees.

2. The Steppes,

   1. Also called Great Steppe.  Also called Eurasian Steppe,.  the vast grasslands stretching from Asia to Eastern Europe, bounded on the north by European and Asian Russia and Siberia.

   2. Kirghiz Steppe.

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steppe British  

/ stɛp /

noun

1. (often plural) an extensive grassy plain usually without trees Compare prairie pampas

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steppe Scientific  

/ stĕp /

1. A vast, semiarid grassland, as found in southeast Europe, Siberia, and central North America.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• steppes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of steppe

First recorded in 1665–75; from Russian step' or Ukrainian step; further origin uncertain

Explanation

A steppe is a large geographic area of flat land. A prairie is a kind of steppe. This type of land can be found in both cold and warm environments — from Siberia to Mexico. A steppe, pronounced like the word step, is not quite dry enough to be a desert but not fertile enough for trees to grow. Think of it as a semi-desert covered in grass and shrubs. The word steppe can also be used to describe the climate in areas that are too dry for a forest, but not quite dry enough to be desert.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

steppe steppes

The region, made up of mountains surrounded by a desert steppe, receives just over 100 millimeters of annual rainfall, classifying it as an desert.

From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026

Kazakhstan recently moved to declare its official history as one connected not to Russia or the Soviet Union but to the Golden Horde steppe empire.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

At least 80% of their ancestry was now from the steppe.

From Science Daily ● May 30, 2026

Federal officials designated the Montgomery Pass Wild Horse Territory, a remote area spanning sagebrush steppe and pinyon pine forest east of Mono Lake.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2025

Olmsted’s plans alone would make the exposition unique, with lagoons, canals, and great lawns all set against the cobalt-blue steppe of Lake Michigan.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

There were only arid steppes in sight when a small plane took off from an airport in southern Kazakhstan, embarking on a delicate mission: bringing rain for the scorched earth below.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

I was two days into the Gobi March, a brutal 155-mile ultramarathon through the steppes, sand dunes and rock valleys of Central Mongolia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2026

With their thick coats, curved tusks, and towering size, they grazed the vast steppes that stretched across the northern hemisphere.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 15, 2025

They then spent eight days on the road with a Chinese driver, travelling through mountains and lush steppes, which left Mr Sun in awe.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2025

While Stalingrad was burning, they were cooling their heels in the fragrant fields of the Russian steppes, surrounded by sagebrush and birdsong.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

• grassland
• prairie
• savanna