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

What appear to be intercontinental ballistic missile parts can be seen parked on the tarmac as sections of old rockets sit in lots surrounded by weeds. —Tamara Qiblawi, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025

This September, China showcased its nuclear forces, including a new intercontinental ballistic missile, during a military parade that Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watched from VIP seats. —Robert C. O’Brien, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2025

My journey to complete the nuclear triad took me aboard both a B-52 and a B-2 stealth bomber, down into a Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile silo and deep beneath the waves on a ballistic missile submarine. —Naveed Jamali, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 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

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