as in mountain
a type of hill with a flat top and steep sides that is found in the southwestern U.S.
The otherworldly sandstone buttes of Monument Valley, Arizona are well worth a visit.
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Recent Examples of butte
The southern end of the park is known for its high concentration of petrified wood, but the northern end has jaw-dropping views of the Painted Desert, the colorful expanse of hills, buttes, and mesas in Arizona’s high desert.
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Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 6 Sep. 2025
No eyes, no nose, just a butte with shadows.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
Grab a site at the BLM’s White House Campground, which views a cluster of sand-white buttes ($12 per site, first come/first serve).
—Graham Averill, Outside Online, 19 Feb. 2025
Their conclusion from this is that the mesas and buttes are the remains of what was once a far larger plateau, which was largely eroded away on the side facing the northern basin.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for butte
Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 6 Sep. 2025
No eyes, no nose, just a butte with shadows.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
Grab a site at the BLM’s White House Campground, which views a cluster of sand-white buttes ($12 per site, first come/first serve).
—Graham Averill, Outside Online, 19 Feb. 2025
Their conclusion from this is that the mesas and buttes are the remains of what was once a far larger plateau, which was largely eroded away on the side facing the northern basin.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for butte
Recent Examples of Synonyms for butte
Noun
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Yet stimulatory or not, America’s economy has a mountain to climb before Washington’s debts align more appropriately with its economic context.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
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Today, Leadville blends its rugged past with a love of the outdoors and small-town vibes with big-mountain adventure.—
Karthika Gupta,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In preparation for that cliff, tribal leaders in Montana have started culling bison herds to feed their community members on one reservation where the population is disproportionately food insecure.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
26 Oct. 2025
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Imposing granite cliff faces like Half Dome and El Capitan, serene meadows and forests, and the picturesque Merced River, all tend to come to mind.—
Cu Fleshman,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Within minutes, guests can be standing beneath the stone arches of Arches National Park, 4 miles away, or surveying mesas and buttes in Canyonlands National Park, 30 miles southwest, where the Colorado and Green rivers have carved the landscape for centuries.—
Cari Shane,
USA Today,
15 Oct. 2025
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Instead, tribal members have relied on a single power line that runs roughly 30 miles east and west across high desert punctuated by three distinctive mesas, home to 12 distinct villages, including some of the oldest inhabited communities in the United States.—
Nate Perez,
NPR,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Lake Nyos, an extremely deep lake in the volcanic highlands of northwest Cameroon, was in the second category.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
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With establishing shots of the majestic Armenian highlands, the documentary makes a concerted effort to trace the deep-rooted mythos of this ancestral land before delving into its subjects.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Denise’s family was out on a foothill in a large, modern ranch house.—
Rachel Kushner,
New Yorker,
14 Sep. 2025
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The Shooting The shooting began shortly after 12:30 p.m. at Evergreen High School, about 30 miles west of Denver in the foothills of Jefferson County.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The 101-year-old ranch, built on a plateau just above the river, consists of a handful of cabins and bunkhouses surrounding a larger lodge.—
Graham Averill,
Outside,
28 Oct. 2025
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After 10 minutes of strolling along paved pathways from the gate, the line of trees that marks the edge of the plateau comes into sight.—
Barry Neild,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Butte.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butte. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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