buffalo grass

noun

: a low-growing perennial grass (Buchloë dactyloides) native to the Great Plains that has curly grayish-green leaves
also : grama

Examples of buffalo grass in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Violence and wanton cruelty are as commonplace as shimmering fields of buffalo grass among the land-grubbing settlers, nefarious opportunists and Indigenous loners who populate the region. Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2022 Rosmarino calls my attention to our feet, which stand on a dense mat of blue-green buffalo grass. Julia Rosen, The Atlantic, 25 July 2022 Replace your lawn with buffalo grass (Buchloe dactyloides), blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis), or purple three-awn grass (Aristida purpurea). Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 June 2022 About 90% of SoCal lawns are planted with deep-green fescue grass, Baird says, but warm-season grasses such as Bermuda or buffalo grass need about 20% less water to stay green in hot, dry conditions. Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2022 Meantime, attention surrounding the skirmish provided the Sioux with foundation backing to develop a wind farm in Porcupine Hills, an area of scrub oak and buffalo grass with cattle ranches. The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 June 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'buffalo grass.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1784, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of buffalo grass was in 1784

Dictionary Entries Near buffalo grass

Cite this Entry

“Buffalo grass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buffalo%20grass. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

buffalo grass

noun
: a low-growing grass native to the Great Plains

More from Merriam-Webster on buffalo grass

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!