Definition

Proper noun 1. A major geographic region of North America: A vast, flat, or gently rolling grassland (prairie) ecosystem. It extends from the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba in the north, southward through the central United States (including states like Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and parts of others) into Texas. Historically, this region was inhabited by numerous Native American tribes before European settlement.

Usage Notes

• "Great Plains" is always used as a proper noun and is typically preceded by the definite article "the" (e.g., ).
• It refers to a specific, well-defined geographical and ecological area, not just any large plain.

Examples

• As a subject:
• As an object:
• Showing location:

Advanced Usage

• Historical/Cultural Context: The term is often used in discussions of American history, referring to the frontier, westward expansion, and the displacement of Native American nations.
• Ecological Context: Used to describe the unique biome, its flora, fauna, and environmental challenges like drought.

Variants and Related Words

• Plains (noun, often capitalized in this context): A shorter, sometimes informal reference to the same region (e.g., ).
• Prairie (noun): The general type of grassland ecosystem that characterizes the Great Plains.
• High Plains (proper noun): A subregion of the Great Plains, located at a higher elevation in the western part.

Synonyms

• The Plains (context-specific synonym)
• The American Prairie (a more ecological or poetic synonym, though not perfectly coterminous)

Related Phrases

• Great Plains states: Refers to the U.S. states that lie primarily within the Great Plains region.
• Plains Indians: The collective term for the Native American tribes and nations historically inhabiting the Great Plains.

Noun

1. a vast prairie region extending from Alberta and Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Canada south through the west central United States into Texas; formerly inhabited by Native Americans