playa

American  

[plahy-uh] / ˈplaɪ ə /

noun

1. 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.

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playa British  

/ ˈplɑːjə, ˈplaja /

noun

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

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playa Scientific  

/ plī′ə /

1. 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.

2. Also called sink

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Etymology

Origin of playa

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

Example Sentences

Their analysis shows that the basement beneath the playa is relatively shallow, less than 200 meters deep, before dropping sharply to depths of 3 to 4 kilometers.

From Science Daily • Mar. 21, 2026

On the playa, attendees often wear masks and costumes.

From Salon • Oct. 27, 2025

They say that since the conservation program began in mid-August, the Salton Sea’s surface has fallen about 10 inches and the lake has shrunk by about 3,500 acres, exposing new stretches of dust-emitting playa.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 13, 2024

Exodus became a dangerous trail of taillights flickering through the dust like fading fireflies, and camps across the playa feared they’d be stuck breaking down until the end of the week.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 9, 2024

In my mind, I heard Big Boi sing: I’m just a playa like that, my jeans was sharply creased.

From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates