supercontinent

noun

su·​per·​con·​ti·​nent ˈsü-pər-ˌkän-tə-nənt How to pronounce supercontinent (audio)
-ˌkänt-nənt
: a hypothetical former large continent from which other continents are held to have broken off and drifted away

Examples of supercontinent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Namely, the landscape of publishing has shifted like the supercontinent Pangaea, compared with the continents today. Michael Mrak, Scientific American, 19 Sep. 2023 Britain and Ireland share a geological history, both having been assembled from bits of an ancient continent called Laurentia and a scrap of crust called Avalonia during the Caledonian Orogeny—one of the mountain-building events that stitched together the supercontinent Pangaea. Elise Cutts, Discover Magazine, 29 June 2023 In the Permian, the planet's continents started to squish together to form the supercontinent Pangea, and the era ended with the largest mass extinction in Earth's history. Rasha Aridi, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Nov. 2021 Before Africa and South America became two distinct places, scientists believe that the land was connected, and formed the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana. Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 1 Aug. 2023 Earth’s land mass was then mostly a single Pangea supercontinent. Jeanne Timmons, New York Times, 22 May 2023 Geologists think these slabs are ancient remnants of seafloor from the Tethys Ocean, which was located between the supercontinents of Laurasia and Gondwana more than 200 million years ago. Tom Metcalfe, Scientific American, 26 June 2023 The world may have a new supercontinent within 200 million to 300 million years as the Pacific Ocean shrinks and closes. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 7 Oct. 2022 At the end of the Triassic Period, just over 200 million years ago, the supercontinent Pangaea was breaking apart. Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 23 Mar. 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'supercontinent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of supercontinent was in 1960

Dictionary Entries Near supercontinent

Cite this Entry

“Supercontinent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supercontinent. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

supercontinent

noun
su·​per·​con·​ti·​nent ˈsü-pər-ˌkänt-ᵊn-ənt How to pronounce supercontinent (audio)
-ˌkänt-nənt
: a former large continent which is assumed to have existed and from which other continents broke off and drifted away

More from Merriam-Webster on supercontinent

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!