intercontinental

adjective

in·​ter·​con·​ti·​nen·​tal ˌin-tər-ˌkän-tə-ˈnen-tᵊl 

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

Ice dancers Ren Junfei and Xing Jianing were seen with a large toy version of China’s new DF-61 missile – a huge intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) transported on an eight-axle truck and capable of carrying nuclear weapons – at the Cup of China in Chongqing on Saturday. —George Ramsay, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025

The project produced two working reactor prototypes, Tory-IIA and Tory-IIC, but was abandoned in 1964 due to safety concerns over radioactive exhaust and the rise of intercontinental ballistic missiles. —Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 27 Oct. 2025

But soon, their typical routine is abruptly interrupted when an unidentified intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is detected. —Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Oct. 2025

Earlier this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un displayed a new long-range intercontinental ballistic missile at a military parade in Pyongyang that included foreign leaders. —Greg Norman, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for intercontinental

• interdepartmental
• intergovernmental
• intragovernmental
• nonexperimental
• accidental
• compartmental
• continental
• detrimental
• elemental
• fundamental
• governmental
• incidental

Kids Definition

intercontinental

adjective

in·​ter·​con·​ti·​nen·​tal ˌint-ər-ˌkänt-ᵊn-ˈent-ᵊl 

1

: extending among or carried on between continents

intercontinental trade

2

: capable of traveling from one continent to another

an intercontinental ballistic missile