as in mainlands
one of the great divisions of land on the globe or the main part of such a division
Europe and Asia are sometimes considered together to be one continent
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Recent Examples of continents
As his career expanded across continents, so did his real estate holdings—from historic London residences to discreet Tribeca apartments and sleek California retreats.
—
Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 20 Feb. 2026
Contributor Diana Hubbell is a James Beard Award-winning food and travel journalist who has spent more than a decade reporting across three continents.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Feb. 2026
Right before, cast members each carried flags from all over both American continents as Benito listed every single country.
—Andrés Soto, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
Based in Israel for a decade until 2023, Schwartz’s reporting from four continents has appeared in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Review of Books, The Economist, Time, National Geographic, and Foreign Policy.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 19 Feb. 2026
Artists spanning centuries and continents (including an electric-guitar-playing rocker and a Zaouli dancer) add to the mesmerizing sequence before returning to Sammie.
—Emma Fraser, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
Najma grew up in those apartments and playgrounds, learning early that community could stretch across continents.
—Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
The lives of Joaquin Pereyra and Tomas Chancalay are intertwined across two continents.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 18 Feb. 2026
Planet Earth has gone through many periods where supercontinents and superoceans were the norm, and many others where multiple continents and multiple separate, independent oceans covered Earth’s surface.
—Big Think, 17 Feb. 2026
Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 20 Feb. 2026
Contributor Diana Hubbell is a James Beard Award-winning food and travel journalist who has spent more than a decade reporting across three continents.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Feb. 2026
Right before, cast members each carried flags from all over both American continents as Benito listed every single country.
—Andrés Soto, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
Based in Israel for a decade until 2023, Schwartz’s reporting from four continents has appeared in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Review of Books, The Economist, Time, National Geographic, and Foreign Policy.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 19 Feb. 2026
Artists spanning centuries and continents (including an electric-guitar-playing rocker and a Zaouli dancer) add to the mesmerizing sequence before returning to Sammie.
—Emma Fraser, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
Najma grew up in those apartments and playgrounds, learning early that community could stretch across continents.
—Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
The lives of Joaquin Pereyra and Tomas Chancalay are intertwined across two continents.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 18 Feb. 2026
Planet Earth has gone through many periods where supercontinents and superoceans were the norm, and many others where multiple continents and multiple separate, independent oceans covered Earth’s surface.
—Big Think, 17 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for continents
Noun
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The two mainlands themselves are only 55 miles apart where Alaska's Seward Peninsula and Russia's Chukotka Peninsula sit on opposite sides of the Bering Sea.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
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When several landmasses collided to form the supercontinent Pangea long before the dinosaurs, Earth’s crust shattered into discrete blocks and folded like a rug pushed against a wall, rising to form mountains spanning from the Appalachians to the Atlas.—
Evan Howell,
Scientific American,
4 Feb. 2026
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With a constellation of eyes in the sky, forecasters could suddenly monitor conditions over oceans and remote landmasses, filling in major gaps in their models and providing an early warning system about potential storms forming far away.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Continents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/continents. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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