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
Health authorities across four continents were continuing to track down and monitor more than two dozen passengers who disembarked the ship before the deadly outbreak was detected.
—
Suman Naishadham, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
While the Arctic is an ocean surrounded by continents, Antarctica is a continent surrounded by the ocean – this means its sea ice can grow outward, unconstrained by land.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
The operation spanned continents and involved coordinated efforts by law enforcement and tech companies.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2026
Health authorities across four continents were continuing to track down and monitor passengers who disembarked the ship before the deadly outbreak was detected, and are trying to trace others who may have come into contact with them since then.
—ABC News, 8 May 2026
After breaking free from that sheltered existence, Ashish sets out across continents, driven by a goal bound up in the memory of his late brother.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 May 2026
Crossing multiple continents and running on tight seasonal timelines, they were never designed to absorb this level of volatility.
—Catherine Nekavand, Footwear News, 7 May 2026
In partnership with Google, the company this year aims to build replicas of the system on multiple continents.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 2026
The 1965 Land Rover Defender parked out front of the property was once owned by a professor from California who traveled to more than 300 countries across all seven continents.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 May 2026
Suman Naishadham, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
While the Arctic is an ocean surrounded by continents, Antarctica is a continent surrounded by the ocean – this means its sea ice can grow outward, unconstrained by land.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
The operation spanned continents and involved coordinated efforts by law enforcement and tech companies.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2026
Health authorities across four continents were continuing to track down and monitor passengers who disembarked the ship before the deadly outbreak was detected, and are trying to trace others who may have come into contact with them since then.
—ABC News, 8 May 2026
After breaking free from that sheltered existence, Ashish sets out across continents, driven by a goal bound up in the memory of his late brother.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 May 2026
Crossing multiple continents and running on tight seasonal timelines, they were never designed to absorb this level of volatility.
—Catherine Nekavand, Footwear News, 7 May 2026
In partnership with Google, the company this year aims to build replicas of the system on multiple continents.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 2026
The 1965 Land Rover Defender parked out front of the property was once owned by a professor from California who traveled to more than 300 countries across all seven continents.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 May 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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Planet operates a fleet of around 150 satellites that photograph most of Earth's landmasses on a daily basis.—
Geoff Brumfiel,
NPR,
10 Apr. 2026
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There was SimEarth in 1990, in which the player tunes a planet’s atmospheric conditions, sculpts its landmasses, plunks down life-forms.—
Eric Boodman,
Vulture,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Continents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/continents. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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