con·ti·nen·tal
ˌkän-tə-ˈnen-tᵊl 
1
a
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a continent
continental waters
specifically, often capitalized
: of or relating to the continent of Europe excluding the British Isles
b
often capitalized
: of, relating to, or being a cuisine derived from the classic dishes of Europe and especially France
2
a
often capitalized
: of or relating to the colonies later forming the U.S.
Continental Congress
b
: being the part of the U.S. on the North American continent
also
: being the part of the U.S. comprising the lower 48 states
1
a
often capitalized
: an American soldier of the Revolution in the Continental army
b(1)
: a piece of Continental paper currency
(2)
: the least bit
not worth a continental
2
: an inhabitant of a continent and especially the continent of Europe
Synonyms
Examples of continental in a Sentence
Adjective
They will be touring Continental Europe.
differences between Britain and its Continental neighbors
The hotel combines American comfort with continental elegance.
Noun
complained that today's youth doesn't care a continental about their elders
Recent Examples on the Web
Sarah Maddox, CBS News, 9 Apr. 2024
Mexico's Pacific coast will be the first location in continental North America to experience totality, which is expected to occur at about 11:07 a.m. PDT, according to NASA.
—USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
The menu focuses on continental flavors, with everything from paella to chicken piccata to boeuf bourguignon, plus some American mainstays.
—Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2024
Mexico’s Pacific coast will be the first location in continental North America to experience totality, which will happen there around 11:07 a.m.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Flooding that submerges vast swaths of island nations and continental coastal areas.
—Kari Nadeau, STAT, 4 Apr. 2024
The rest of the continental United States will see the moon obscure only a portion of the sun’s face in a partial solar eclipse — the amount varies by location.
—Denise Chow, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
Going by the European governing body UEFA’s algorithms, Spain’s coefficient only trails the Premier League, with this grade based on how its top clubs perform in continental tournaments.
—Henry Flynn, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
But there's also daily breakfast (both buffet and à la carte) at Del Mar, which features a menu with traditional Mexican and continental fare.
—Susmita Baral, Travel + Leisure, 25 Mar. 2024
Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 24 Apr. 2018
Hosted by enthusiastic young continentals, songs are scored by a combination of dial-in votes from viewers and jurists representing the participating countries.
—Amy Thomson, Bloomberg.com, 24 Apr. 2020
Kenyatta rejected concerns that a free trade deal with the United States would undermine a new continental free trade agreement in Africa aimed at creating the world’s largest common market.
—Tom Odula, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Feb. 2020
Today, greater migration rates among college graduates often necessitates cross-country, if not cross-continental, travel.
—Wired, 22 Aug. 2019
Many of these airlines also have different policies for intra-continental, short-haul flights, which are not included here.
—Meredith Carey, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 July 2018
Organizers of the Asian Games—a pan-continental, multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia—have confirmed eSports will be a demonstration event later this year.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 28 June 2018
Goals, fame and second-tier continental, as well as league success, came to the Brazilian, who became only the second man to break the world transfer record twice, all before his 21st birthday.
—SI.com, 27 May 2018
But the most fun part is spinning the globe itself and watching the unfamiliar continental and oceanic formations of times past.
—Erin Blakemore, Washington Post, 24 Mar. 2018
Adjective
The eclipse will leave continental North America from Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16 p.m. NT, according to NASA.
—Sarah Maddox, CBS News, 9 Apr. 2024
Mexico's Pacific coast will be the first location in continental North America to experience totality, which is expected to occur at about 11:07 a.m. PDT, according to NASA.
—USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
The menu focuses on continental flavors, with everything from paella to chicken piccata to boeuf bourguignon, plus some American mainstays.
—Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2024
Mexico’s Pacific coast will be the first location in continental North America to experience totality, which will happen there around 11:07 a.m.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Flooding that submerges vast swaths of island nations and continental coastal areas.
—Kari Nadeau, STAT, 4 Apr. 2024
The rest of the continental United States will see the moon obscure only a portion of the sun’s face in a partial solar eclipse — the amount varies by location.
—Denise Chow, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
Going by the European governing body UEFA’s algorithms, Spain’s coefficient only trails the Premier League, with this grade based on how its top clubs perform in continental tournaments.
—Henry Flynn, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
But there's also daily breakfast (both buffet and à la carte) at Del Mar, which features a menu with traditional Mexican and continental fare.
—Susmita Baral, Travel + Leisure, 25 Mar. 2024
Noun
The Earth's crust is divided into dozens of plates, some oceanic, some continental, which move on a plastic mantle underneath.
—Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 24 Apr. 2018
Hosted by enthusiastic young continentals, songs are scored by a combination of dial-in votes from viewers and jurists representing the participating countries.
—Amy Thomson, Bloomberg.com, 24 Apr. 2020
Kenyatta rejected concerns that a free trade deal with the United States would undermine a new continental free trade agreement in Africa aimed at creating the world’s largest common market.
—Tom Odula, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Feb. 2020
Today, greater migration rates among college graduates often necessitates cross-country, if not cross-continental, travel.
—Wired, 22 Aug. 2019
Many of these airlines also have different policies for intra-continental, short-haul flights, which are not included here.
—Meredith Carey, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 July 2018
Organizers of the Asian Games—a pan-continental, multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia—have confirmed eSports will be a demonstration event later this year.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 28 June 2018
Goals, fame and second-tier continental, as well as league success, came to the Brazilian, who became only the second man to break the world transfer record twice, all before his 21st birthday.
—SI.com, 27 May 2018
But the most fun part is spinning the globe itself and watching the unfamiliar continental and oceanic formations of times past.
—Erin Blakemore, Washington Post, 24 Mar. 2018
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'continental.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near continental
Cite this Entry
“Continental.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/continental. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
continental
1 of 2 adjective
con·ti·nen·tal
ˌkänt-ᵊn-ˈent-ᵊl
1
: of or relating to a continent
continental waters
especially, often capitalized
: of or relating to the continent of Europe
2
often capitalized
: of or relating to the colonies later forming the U.S.
Continental Congress
continental
2 of 2 noun1
a
often capitalized
: a soldier in the Continental army
b
: a piece of paper money issued by the Continental Congress
2
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