savanna

noun

sa·​van·​na sə-ˈva-nə 

variants or less commonly savannah

1

: a treeless plain especially in Florida

2

a

: a tropical or subtropical grassland (as of eastern Africa or northern South America) containing scattered trees and drought-resistant undergrowth

b

: a temperate grassland with scattered trees (such as oaks)

Synonyms

• campo
• champaign
• down(s)
• grassland
• heath
• lea
• ley
• llano
• moor
• pampa
• plain
• prairie
• steppe
• tundra
• veld
• veldt

Examples of savanna in a Sentence

lions roaming the savanna

Recent Examples on the Web

Tigers can be found in a diverse range of habitats, from tropical rainforests to savannas, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). —Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 19 Sep. 2024

Visitors can wander through a tropical rainforest and savanna grasslands, and even smell an ocean complete with coral reef. —Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 26 Oct. 2024

At this National Natural Landmark and a National Historic District, visitors will encounter a wide range of ecosystems including a deciduous forest, an oak savanna, a prairie and wetlands. —Michele Herrmann, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2024

These practices include adaptive multi-paddock grazing, which has been applied at scale to over 12,000 cattle on seven farms in the Uruguayan savanna. —Jamie Hailstone, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Spanish zavana, from Taino zabana

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

savanna

noun

sa·​van·​na

variants also savannah

sə-ˈvan-ə 

: a grassland (as of eastern Africa or northern South America) containing scattered trees