as in plateau
a broad flat area of elevated land a cold wind from the Andes swept across the altiplano

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of altiplano In the Chilean altiplano above 12,000 feet, Meiburg spends one of the coldest nights of his life in a sleeping bag on the edge of a salt lagoon, staking out mountain caracaras known for working in groups to flip over heavy flat stones in search of edible creatures. Paul Kvinta, Outside Online, 2 Apr. 2021 The landscape changed around me; condensing from plains, desert, and mountains into the jungles of Central America, then unfolding in reverse, into the expanse of the altiplano. J.r. Patterson, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Feb. 2022 Which is why Steve Ruff, a planetary scientist at Arizona State University and a key player in the Home Plate analysis, traveled thousands of miles to El Tatio, a series of hot springs in the rare air of Chile’s altiplano. Jeffrey Marlow, Discover Magazine, 28 Nov. 2016 The world's largest salt flat covers 4,000 square miles of Bolivian altiplano. Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 8 Dec. 2021 The terminal at El Alto International Airport may not have the best design or the most punctilious construction standards, but in the freezing predawn of this high plateau—the Andean altiplano—one could weep with gratitude that it is heated. Alma Guillermoprieto, The New York Review of Books, 3 Dec. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for altiplano
Noun
  • Spread across a plateau atop Lookout Mountain, The Keep takes its name from the majestic cliffside views reminiscent of Europe's historic castles.
    Erik Matuszewski, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Clayton’s driving layup while falling to the floor and getting fouled with 1:33 to go was the dagger Saturday night at the Alamodome and carried him over the 30-point plateau in consecutive games.
    Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • In 2012, archaeologists uncovered six broken but complete female figurines at a burial site in Guatemala’s western highlands from the Middle Preclassic period.
    Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 8 Mar. 2025
  • The winter weather advisory affects Southwest Idaho highlands, the Owyhee Mountains and the Camas Prairie for slippery roads.
    Ashley Fredde, Idaho Statesman, 6 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve Peak season: Mid-March to late April/May North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve encompasses a wide-open, 3,200-acre mesa near Oroville.
    Deb Hopewell, AFAR Media, 24 Mar. 2025
  • The two were close, living in the family’s home in a historic tribal village surrounded by high desert and mesas.
    Mary Hudetz, ProPublica, 27 Dec. 2022
Noun
  • The tableland was formed by volcanic eruptions about 700,000 years ago, according to the Bishop Chamber of Commerce and Information Center.
    Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 11 Mar. 2025
  • It's located on the Cumberland Plateau — a 450-mile tableland that covers much of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, with soaring sandstone walls, large boulders, and dramatic overhangs.
    Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 22 July 2023

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Cite this Entry

“Altiplano.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/altiplano. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

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