intercontinental

adjective

in·​ter·​con·​ti·​nen·​tal ˌin-tər-ˌkän-tə-ˈnen-tᵊl How to pronounce intercontinental (audio)
Synonyms of intercontinentalnext
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
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But once Moscow demonstrated its ability to launch intercontinental rockets, Europeans feared that the United States would no longer be willing to use nuclear weapons to prevent a Soviet invasion of Europe. — Ivo H. Daalder, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2026 The museum displayed weaponry developed under Kim’s leadership ranging from drones to the Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile, KCNA photographs showed. — Reuters, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2026 First developed in the 1950s, this aircraft has an enormous weapon payload capacity and intercontinental range. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2026 Factories there built several models of intercontinental ballistic missiles. — Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026 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

Rhymes for intercontinental

See All Rhymes for intercontinental

Browse Nearby Words

interconsonantal
intercontinental
interconversion
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Intercontinental.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intercontinental. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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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

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