as in continent
a large area of land that is a part of a continent
—used especially to refer to the area that includes India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh
the Indian subcontinent
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Recent Examples of subcontinent
While undertaking a magnetic survey of the Indian subcontinent, Colonel Alexander Strange of the Royal Artillery had experienced firsthand the human toll of drought.
—
Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
In the 1800s, the investments in railroad infrastructure increased migration to a mass level, transformed the American Midwest to an agricultural powerhouse, and allowed Imperialist powers to grow across Africa and the Indian subcontinent.
—Bipul Sinha, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025
Its open, hilly terrain has one of the highest densities of tigers on the subcontinent.
—Marion Miller, Travel + Leisure, 10 Oct. 2025
Pakistan had been America’s Cold War ally on the subcontinent, but during the Global War on Terror, Washington came to see Islamabad as unreliable and instead drew closer to New Delhi.
—Vaibhav Vats, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subcontinent
Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
In the 1800s, the investments in railroad infrastructure increased migration to a mass level, transformed the American Midwest to an agricultural powerhouse, and allowed Imperialist powers to grow across Africa and the Indian subcontinent.
—Bipul Sinha, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025
Its open, hilly terrain has one of the highest densities of tigers on the subcontinent.
—Marion Miller, Travel + Leisure, 10 Oct. 2025
Pakistan had been America’s Cold War ally on the subcontinent, but during the Global War on Terror, Washington came to see Islamabad as unreliable and instead drew closer to New Delhi.
—Vaibhav Vats, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subcontinent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subcontinent
Noun
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Over seven months, the quartet performed 81 shows across three continents to more than 2 million attendees, cementing their status as the highest-grossing touring act among female K-pop groups.—
Hannah Abraham,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Martin Farquhar Tupper, a poet and an antiquarian favored by Queen Victoria, argued that Rapa Nui was the remnant of a lost continent whose people had perished.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Huang visited mainland China at least three times last year, including in January for Lunar New Year celebrations.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
23 Jan. 2026
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So Andrew landed a new gig on the mainland at Western Michigan, currently ranked 18th, losses to Tulane and Notre Dame.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The timing of initial human occupation of Sahul—the Pleistocene-era supercontinent that is now Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea—has been debated among archeologists.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
21 Jan. 2026
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These ancient humans could then have walked the rest of the way -- at the time, Papua New Guinea and Australia were both part of a supercontinent called Sahul.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Subcontinent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subcontinent. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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