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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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 Alfredo Sosa/Staff A Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile stands tall at a training site at F.E. Warren AFB in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Oct. 21, 2024. — Alfredo Sosa, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Feb. 2025 In addition, the Pentagon is already aggressively developing orbital sensor networks and AI systems for detecting and identifying not only intercontinental ballistic missiles, but cruise and hypersonic missiles as well. — David Szondy, New Atlas, 6 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

Rhymes for intercontinental

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intercontinental
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“Intercontinental.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intercontinental. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.

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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

More from Merriam-Webster on intercontinental

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for intercontinental

Nglish: Translation of intercontinental for Spanish Speakers

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