intercontinental

adjective

in·​ter·​con·​ti·​nen·​tal ˌin-tər-ˌkän-tə-ˈnen-tᵊl How to pronounce intercontinental (audio)
1
: extending among continents or carried on between continents
2
: capable of traveling between continents
intercontinental ballistic missile

Examples of intercontinental in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Even most versions of the intercontinental Boeing 747 cannot match that metric. J. George Gorant, Robb Report, 21 Sep. 2025 Mysterio is now a double champion and has been on fire since initially winning the intercontinental title at WrestleMania 41. Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2025 Some meet peacefully during small-scale migrations; others collide in violent intercontinental conquest. Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 18 Sep. 2025 This architecture was devised during the Cold War and is optimized for nuclear conflict and intercontinental ballistic missiles. Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for intercontinental

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of intercontinental was circa 1855

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Cite this Entry

“Intercontinental.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intercontinental. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

intercontinental

adjective
in·​ter·​con·​ti·​nen·​tal ˌint-ər-ˌkänt-ᵊn-ˈent-ᵊl How to pronounce intercontinental (audio)
1
: extending among or carried on between continents
intercontinental trade
2
: capable of traveling from one continent to another
an intercontinental ballistic missile

More from Merriam-Webster on intercontinental

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