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

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

While sand and the steppe have always been part of life in Central Asia, scientists warn climate change and other human activities are accelerating desertification and the degradation of the land.

From Barron's ● Dec. 18, 2025

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

Large areas of the former Fertile Crescent are now desert, semidesert, steppe, or heavily eroded or salinized terrain unsuited for agriculture.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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

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

In 568 C.E., according to contemporary records, warlike horse riders from the Mongolian steppes called the Avars surged into the grassy plains flanking the Danube River, in roughly the territory of modern Hungary.

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 24, 2024

These big-boned people pursued a semi-nomadic life on the steppes, tamed animals, kept domestic cattle and moved over large areas using horses and carts.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 8, 2024

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