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
Throughout the home, a mix of decor and a range of artworks span a variety of styles, time periods, and continents.
—
Rachel Davies, Architectural Digest, 12 June 2026
Part of two continents, Egypt has coastlines along the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aqaba.
—Michael Goldstein, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
Folks even flock from other continents to make a pilgrimage to the restaurant that invented this iconic dish 75 years ago.
—Karla Walsh, Travel + Leisure, 12 June 2026
That proto-elk spread throughout Europe and into North Africa, becoming those continents’ red deer.
—Literary Hub, 10 June 2026
In a career spanning decades and continents, Briscoe brought a reporter’s curiosity to his native Utah, to Washington and to Hawaii.
—ABC News, 10 June 2026
The songs in question span genres, decades and continents, and include new artists, unsung heroes and more.
—Kara Warner, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026
The 21-year-old has grown from a YouTuber who occasionally posted gaming content into an international superstar who did livestream tours in five continents last year.
—Tashan Reed, Time, 9 June 2026
The first tournament, hosted in 1930 and won by Uruguay, featured 13 countries from Europe and the two American continents.
—Carlie Procell, USA Today, 9 June 2026
Rachel Davies, Architectural Digest, 12 June 2026
Part of two continents, Egypt has coastlines along the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aqaba.
—Michael Goldstein, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
Folks even flock from other continents to make a pilgrimage to the restaurant that invented this iconic dish 75 years ago.
—Karla Walsh, Travel + Leisure, 12 June 2026
That proto-elk spread throughout Europe and into North Africa, becoming those continents’ red deer.
—Literary Hub, 10 June 2026
In a career spanning decades and continents, Briscoe brought a reporter’s curiosity to his native Utah, to Washington and to Hawaii.
—ABC News, 10 June 2026
The songs in question span genres, decades and continents, and include new artists, unsung heroes and more.
—Kara Warner, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026
The 21-year-old has grown from a YouTuber who occasionally posted gaming content into an international superstar who did livestream tours in five continents last year.
—Tashan Reed, Time, 9 June 2026
The first tournament, hosted in 1930 and won by Uruguay, featured 13 countries from Europe and the two American continents.
—Carlie Procell, USA Today, 9 June 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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This is a recognizably topological result — the size of each of the city’s landmasses doesn’t matter, nor does the length of the bridges between them.—
Konstantin Kakaes,
Quanta Magazine,
20 May 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Continents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/continents. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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