continental

con·ti·nen·tal | \ ˌkän-tə-ˈnen-tᵊl

Definition of continental

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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

2a 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

continental

noun

Definition of continental (Entry 2 of 2)

1a 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

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Examples of continental in a Sentence

Adjective They will be touring Continental Europe. differences between Britain and its Continental neighbors The hotel combines American comfort with continental elegance. Noun complained that today's youth doesn't care a continental about their elders

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective The bulk of its fuel for electricity generating plants—mainly diesel oil—has had to be imported from the continental United States. — John Fialka, Scientific American, "Hawaii Is a Test Bed to See if Renewables Can Meet Peak Energy Demands," 29 Jan. 2020 The service members were treated in Iraq, or at military health centers, including Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the largest U.S. military hospital outside the continental United States, and a U.S. military medical facility in Kuwait. — Washington Post, "Pentagon: 50 troops suffered brain injuries in Iran strike," 29 Jan. 2020 By mid-2020, after a dozen Falcon 9 flights, enough satellites will be in orbit to provide limited coverage across most of the continental United States and Canada. — William Harwood, CBS News, "SpaceX launches more Starlink satellites for broadband delivery," 29 Jan. 2020 The service members were treated in Iraq, or at military health centers, including Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the largest U.S. military hospital outside the continental United States, and a U.S. military medical facility in Kuwait. — BostonGlobe.com, "Pentagon says 50 troops suffered brain injuries in Iran strike," 28 Jan. 2020 Another draw for powderhounds: Silverton is the only heli-operator in the continental U.S. that offers single drops. — Jen Murphy, Sunset Magazine, "Earn Your Burn on a Secret Backcountry Skiing Adventure in Colorado," 13 Jan. 2020 The storm won't move over the continental U.S. until Thursday, said Brett Rossio, a meteorologist with AccuWeather. — Joe Taschler, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Accumulating snow possible for the weekend; wind chills will fall below zero overnight into Wednesday," 7 Jan. 2020 Katsura trees also grow well in damp, acidic soils throughout much of the continental U.S., and have made homes in parks, arboretums, botanical gardens, private gardens and even parking lots. — Joanna Klein, New York Times, "It’s One of Autumn’s Best Scents, but Not Everyone Smells It," 26 Oct. 2019 Teams that play in the Champions League, which crowns a continental club champion, have to balance advancing to the 16-team knockout stage of that prestigious tournament against lesser domestic cup competitions. — BostonGlobe.com, "The in-season tournament idea is a flagrantly bad idea. Unlike NBA players, it simply doesn’t fly.," 1 Dec. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Today, greater migration rates among college graduates often necessitates cross-country, if not cross-continental, travel. — Wired, "The Beautiful Potential of Never-Ending Bachelor Parties," 22 Aug. 2019 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

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.