intercontinental

adjective

in·​ter·​con·​ti·​nen·​tal ˌin-tər-ˌkän-tə-ˈnen-tᵊl How to pronounce intercontinental (audio)
1
: extending among continents or carried on between continents
2
: capable of traveling between continents
intercontinental ballistic missile

Examples of intercontinental in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The Chinese were originally welcomed to work on intercontinental railroad construction and California gold mining in the 19th century. Richard J. Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Mar. 2025 The Suez Canal and the Panama Canal are critical, narrow maritime passages that provide shortcuts on lengthy intercontinental maritime journeys. Steve Banker, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025 Pyongyang now possesses a limited number of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) believed capable of striking targets across North America, though one senior U.S. Air Force official recently warned any such attack would backfire. Mark Joseph, Newsweek, 24 Feb. 2025 This illustrates the intrinsic, expensive difficulty of intercepting even dummy intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 19 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for intercontinental

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of intercontinental was circa 1855

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Cite this Entry

“Intercontinental.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intercontinental. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

intercontinental

adjective
in·​ter·​con·​ti·​nen·​tal ˌint-ər-ˌkänt-ᵊn-ˈent-ᵊl How to pronounce intercontinental (audio)
1
: extending among or carried on between continents
intercontinental trade
2
: capable of traveling from one continent to another
an intercontinental ballistic missile

More from Merriam-Webster on intercontinental

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