continental

adjective con·ti·nen·tal \ ˌkän-tə-ˈnen-tᵊl \

|Updated on: 12 Aug 2018

Examples: continental in a Sentence

Definition of continental

1 a : of, relating to, or characteristic of a continent

continental waters

; specifically, often capitalized : of or relating to the continent of Europe excluding the British Isles

b often capitalized : of, relating to, or being a cuisine derived from the classic dishes of Europe and especially France

2 a often capitalized : of or relating to the colonies later forming the U.S.

Continental Congress

b : being the part of the U.S. on the North American continent; also : being the part of the U.S. comprising the lower 48 states

—

continentally

play \ˌkän-tə-ˈnen-tə-lē\ adverb

See continental defined for English-language learners

See continental defined for kids

Examples of continental in a Sentence

They will be touring Continental Europe.
differences between Britain and its Continental neighbors
The hotel combines American comfort with continental elegance.

Recent Examples of continental from the Web

Services like banking and finance — a big component of the British economy — would be dealt with separately and would not have as much access as at present to the continental European market.

— stephen castle, New York Times, "Theresa May in Fight to Save Government Amid Brexit Rift," 9 July 2018
The removal of tariffs will create a continental market that allows companies to benefit from the economies of scale.

— landry signé, Washington Post, "Africa’s big new free trade agreement, explained," 29 Mar. 2018
The report underscores how ill-prepared the agency was to manage a crisis outside the continental United States, like the one in Puerto Rico.

— frances robles, New York Times, "FEMA Was Sorely Unprepared for Puerto Rico Hurricane, Report Says," 12 July 2018
The 16-inch bikes sell for $170, including shipping to anywhere in the continental United States at duallybikes.com, Lenz said.

— jane ford-stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Here’s how two 'ordinary' Milwaukee-area men created a unique, dual-wheeled bicycle. The next challenge? Trying to sell them.," 11 July 2018
Ellison’s has multiple pits, including 586-foot Fantastic Pit, the deepest in the continental United States.

— bo emerson, ajc, "Cave rescuers in Southeast watch their Thai colleagues with admiration," 10 July 2018
Since May 17, Rodney Smith has driven nearly 19,000 miles across 46 of the 48 continental United States.

— conner mitchell, kansascity, "50 lawns in 50 states: Man stops in Kansas with mower to fulfill ‘God’s plan’," 10 July 2018
According to the 2014 National Climate Assessment, the eastern half of the continental United States has seen the most dramatic change in extreme rainfall.

— tim craig, Washington Post, "Immense rains are causing more flash flooding, and experts say it’s getting worse," 24 June 2018
In the late 20th century, the bald eagle was on the brink of extinction in the continental United States.

— cassie armstrong, OrlandoSentinel.com, "American Eagle Day: How to observe in Central Florida," 19 June 2018

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

First Known Use of continental

1755

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

continental

noun

Definition of continental

1 a often capitalized : an American soldier of the Revolution in the Continental army

b (1) : a piece of Continental paper currency

(2) : the least bit

not worth a continental

2 : an inhabitant of a continent and especially the continent of Europe

See continental defined for English-language learners

Examples of continental in a Sentence

complained that today's youth doesn't care a continental about their elders

Recent Examples of continental from the Web

Many of these airlines also have different policies for intra-continental, short-haul flights, which are not included here.

— meredith carey, Condé Nast Traveler, "International Basic Economy: How Every Major Airline Compares," 5 July 2018
Organizers of the Asian Games—a pan-continental, multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia—have confirmed eSports will be a demonstration event later this year.

— chris morris, Fortune, "The IOC Is Another Step Closer to Including Video Games in the Olympics," 28 June 2018
Goals, fame and second-tier continental, as well as league success, came to the Brazilian, who became only the second man to break the world transfer record twice, all before his 21st birthday.

— SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 4 Weeks to Go - A Career Overview of Brazil's 2002 World Cup Hero, Ronaldo," 27 May 2018
But the most fun part is spinning the globe itself and watching the unfamiliar continental and oceanic formations of times past.

— erin blakemore, Washington Post, "Ancient Earth Globe lets you travel back in time for a look at the planet," 24 Mar. 2018
The Confederations Cup is a trophy competed for by the seven current reigning continental or world champions and a host nation, in every odd year following a round of continental tournaments.

— SI.com, "FIFA Propose New 'Final 8' World Cup Tournament as Part of the International Football Reform," 2 May 2018
Whatever optimism that remained among American fans was based on a belief that the team’s supposedly better-than-the-continental-competition talent would ultimately prevail.

— eric betts, Slate Magazine, "Under Bruce Arena, the U.S. men’s national soccer team has transformed from an embarrassment into an aggressive attacking force.," 27 Mar. 2017
Wind drives water at the surface of the shallow continental shelf, at depths of about 300 feet (91 meters), north to water off the shelf, which drops to depths of more than 10,000 feet (3,050 meters).

— Washington Post, "Arctic researchers to study wind effects on marine life," 22 Aug. 2017
For her next challenge Pillinger, who still commutes 26 miles by bike every day from her home in St Albans into London, will compete in the trans-continental -- a 1,790-mile race from Belgium to Greece.

— chris murphy, CNN, "Is this the world's toughest bike race?," 13 June 2017

First Known Use of continental

1777

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

continental Synonyms

Synonyms

beans, darn (also durn), fig, hoot, iota, jot, lick, modicum, rap, syllable, tittle, whit, whoop;

CONTINENTAL Defined for English Language Learners

continental

adjective

Definition of continental for English Language Learners

: of, relating to, or located on a continent
Continental : of or relating to the countries of Europe except for Great Britain and Ireland
: characteristic of Europe