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Definition of "semiarid" []

  • Characterized by relatively low annual rainfall of 25 to 50 centimeters (10 to 20 inches) and having scrubby vegetation with short, coarse grasses; not completely arid. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "semiarid" in a sentence
  • "The transition regions between deserts and grasslands are sometimes called semiarid deserts (e.g. the Great Basin of the western United States)."
  • "The Chacoan peccary is specialised for life in semiarid forests and steppes."
  • "The region was described as semiarid; the nearest weather station, Lehman Caves National Monument, about 4 miles east and 3000 ft lower, had a mean annual rainfall of 12.8 20 years to 1964."