transcontinental

adjective

trans·​con·​ti·​nen·​tal ˌtran(t)s-ˌkän-tə-ˈnen-tᵊl 

ˌtranz-

: extending or going across a continent

a transcontinental railroad

Examples of transcontinental in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Union Pacific is calling this merger the nation’s first truly transcontinental railroad, although for practical purposes, the first complete rail connection was completed 156 years ago. —Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025

In this day in 1951: The first live transcontinental television broadcast took place when President Harry S. Truman delivered the opening speech for the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference in San Francisco. —Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 4 Sep. 2025

The year that mother died, 1869, was the one when the transcontinental railroad linked us to the rest of the world. —Robert Easton, Outdoor Life, 3 Sep. 2025

Approximately 30 percent of Hub’s intermodal business is transcontinental. —Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1853, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for transcontinental

• coincidental
• developmental
• environmental
• experimental
• intersegmental
• nongovernmental
• unsentimental
• accidental
• compartmental
• continental
• detrimental
• elemental

Kids Definition

transcontinental

adjective

trans·​con·​ti·​nen·​tal ˌtran(t)s-ˌkänt-ᵊn-ˈent-ᵊl 

: extending or going across a continent

a transcontinental flight