playa

[ plahy-uh ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Western U.S. the sandy, salty, or mud-caked flat floor of a desert basin having interior drainage, usually occupied by a shallow lake during or after prolonged, heavy rains.

playa

/ ˈplɑːjə; ˈplaja /

noun

(in the US) a temporary lake, or its dry often salty bed, in a desert basin

playa

A dry lake bed at the bottom of a desert basin, sometimes temporarily covered with water. Playas have no vegetation and are among the flattest geographical features in the world.
Also called sink

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Word History and Origins

Origin of playa¹

1850–55, Americanism; < Spanish: shore < Late Latin plagia; plage

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Word History and Origins

Origin of playa¹

Spanish: shore, from Late Latin plagia, from Greek plagios slanting, from plagos side; compare French plage beach

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The Fyre Festival team, in a statement to ticket holders reviewed by The Times, said it was “blindsided” by Isla Mujeres officials’ claims and instead opted to host the event at Mexico’s Playa del Carmen.

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On April 2, Playa del Carmen government officials issued a statement in Spanish on Instagram with a familiar message.

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In its notice to ticket holders last week, the Fyre team claimed it had paid for the necessary permits to move forward with the event at Playa del Carmen and accused the local government of theft.

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The event was re-announced with a new location in Playa del Carmen.

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The crash occurred just after 7 p.m. in the southbound lane of Vista del Mar in Playa del Rey.

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play playability

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