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

That pattern suggests travelers could begin seeing higher prices on intercontinental flights first, particularly between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. —Scott Campbell, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Mar. 2026

Should Trump let Iran build nuclear weapons and intercontinental missiles? —Chicago Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026

Naval capabilities were also a key focus when Kim outlined his five-year military goals at last month’s Workers’ Party congress, which included calls for intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of being launched from underwater. —ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026

Previously, intercontinental qualifying playoffs were normally contested as two-game, home-and-away series between two nations. —Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2026

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