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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of continents
This aesthetic — symbolizing order, leisure and status — spread across continents and centuries, shaping how residential outdoor spaces are designed and maintained today.
—
Hummingbird, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2026
Its supply chain spans continents — chemical precursors from China, synthesized in Mexico, and transported across the southern border in quantities small enough to evade traditional enforcement — before spreading into communities far from any border.
—Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 9 Jan. 2026
Recently named as one of our Comics Who Won 2025, Amer is coming off of his 2025 global tour, El Oso Palestino — his biggest yet, spanning over 100 shows on four continents, with 135K tickets sold.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 6 Jan. 2026
Chan has stopped shots on several continents, in her native Canada, in the Olympics representing China.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 2026
Beating the Green Bay Packers 16-3 on Sunday provided a slightly more palatable destination after an exhausting journey spanning multiple continents and requiring mountains of patience.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
But from August 2026 to July 2028, dedicated eclipse chasers can experience three shows across three continents.
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 4 Jan. 2026
The network now consists of nearly 10,000 satellites delivering broadband internet to individual consumers, governments, and enterprise customers across multiple continents.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 2 Jan. 2026
Astrotourism continues to be one of the world's leading trends, and many travelers make big plans to cross oceans and continents just to experience auroras, meteor showers, and some of the darkest night skies in the world.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 6 Nov. 2025
Hummingbird, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2026
Its supply chain spans continents — chemical precursors from China, synthesized in Mexico, and transported across the southern border in quantities small enough to evade traditional enforcement — before spreading into communities far from any border.
—Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 9 Jan. 2026
Recently named as one of our Comics Who Won 2025, Amer is coming off of his 2025 global tour, El Oso Palestino — his biggest yet, spanning over 100 shows on four continents, with 135K tickets sold.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 6 Jan. 2026
Chan has stopped shots on several continents, in her native Canada, in the Olympics representing China.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 2026
Beating the Green Bay Packers 16-3 on Sunday provided a slightly more palatable destination after an exhausting journey spanning multiple continents and requiring mountains of patience.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
But from August 2026 to July 2028, dedicated eclipse chasers can experience three shows across three continents.
—Jamie Carter, Space.com, 4 Jan. 2026
The network now consists of nearly 10,000 satellites delivering broadband internet to individual consumers, governments, and enterprise customers across multiple continents.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 2 Jan. 2026
Astrotourism continues to be one of the world's leading trends, and many travelers make big plans to cross oceans and continents just to experience auroras, meteor showers, and some of the darkest night skies in the world.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for continents
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
Instead, Smyth believes the Lucky pterosaurs and other juvenile Pterodactylus antiquus specimens lived on the landmasses near the lagoons.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Continents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/continents. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share