semiarid

adjective
semi·​ar·​id | \ -ˈer-əd How to pronounce semiarid (audio) , -ˈa-rəd, ˌse-ˌmī-, -mi-\

Definition of semiarid

: characterized by light rainfall especially : having from about 10 to 20 inches (25 to 51 centimeters) of annual precipitation

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Other Words from semiarid

semiaridity \ ˌse-​mē-​ə-​ˈri-​də-​tē How to pronounce semiaridity (audio) , -​er-​ˈi-​ , -​ˌa-​ri-​ , ˌse-​ˌmī-​ , -​mi-​ \ noun

Examples of semiarid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This is Texas east of the Pecos, a land of cowpokes and unending fields of cotton, a crop that loves the merciless sun of its semiarid climate. Mary Ann Anderson, Twin Cities, "Lubbock is smack in middle of nowhere — and everywhere," 20 July 2019 This is a land of caprock, cowpokes and unending fields of cotton, a crop that loves the merciless sun of its semiarid climate. Mary Ann Anderson, chicagotribune.com, "Lots to love in Lubbock, a West Texas town with a cowboy past and a bright future," 18 July 2019 The vast expanse of desert and semiarid land is home to militants with ties to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State. Danielle Paquette, BostonGlobe.com, "At least 95 slain in Mali village amid surge in ethnic, extremist violence," 10 June 2019 Its capital has become ground zero for a multibillion-dollar Western project to halt the migrant trail from West Africa toward the Mediterranean and combat the expansion of jihadist activity across the Sahel, the semiarid region south of the Sahara. Joe Parkinson, WSJ, "‘A Nest of Spies’: Niger’s Deserts Become Front Line of Fight Against Jihadism," 17 Sep. 2018 This salt is not for use in arid and semiarid regions, where soils are high in sodium. Beth Hanson, Good Housekeeping, "Grow Healthier Crops Using These Natural Nitrogen Sources," 24 Aug. 2015 Antelope, Oregon, a town of forty people, barely noticeable in the sagebrush-scattered, semiarid country of central Oregon, doesn’t usually have its town council meetings covered by CBS News. Wendla Mcgovern, The New Republic, "Range War: The Disciples Come to Antelope," 12 Apr. 2018 Along with much of the semiarid western United States, California relies on snowpack for its water supplies. National Geographic, "Mudslides, Wildfires, and Drought—California's Deadly Weather Explained," 10 Jan. 2018 Now, analyses of cave formations from the region bolster the notion that changes in the strength of that semiarid region’s summer monsoon may have played a major role in this cultural upheaval, and others like it. Sid Perkins, Science | AAAS, "Ancient Asian cultures may have risen and fallen on the strength of monsoons," 13 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'semiarid.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of semiarid

1880, in the meaning defined above

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