North America

American  

noun

1. the northern continent of the Western Hemisphere, extending from Central America to the Arctic Ocean. Highest point, Denali, 20,300 feet (6,187 meters); lowest, Death Valley, 276 feet (84 meters) below sea level. About 9,360,000 square miles (24,242,400 square kilometers).

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North America British  

noun

1. the third largest continent, linked with South America by the Isthmus of Panama and bordering on the Arctic Ocean, the N Pacific, the N Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean. It consists generally of a great mountain system (the Western Cordillera) extending along the entire W coast, actively volcanic in the extreme north and south, with the Great Plains to the east and the Appalachians still further east, separated from the Canadian Shield by an arc of large lakes (Great Bear, Great Slave, Winnipeg, Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario); reaches its greatest height of 6194 m (20 320 ft) in Mount McKinley, Alaska, and its lowest point of 85 m (280 ft) below sea level in Death Valley, California, and ranges from snowfields, tundra, and taiga in the north to deserts in the southwest and tropical forests in the extreme south. Pop: 332 156 000 (2005 est). Area: over 24 000 000 sq km (9 500 000 sq miles)

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North America Cultural  

1. Third-largest continent (after Asia and Africa), comprising Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Central America.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• North American
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of North America

First recorded in 1680–90

Example Sentences

It expects North America revenue growth of 4% to 6% for the year compared with previous expectations of 6% to 8%.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

The World Cup begins in North America on Thursday but China won't be there after failing to qualify once again, leaving their sole appearance back in 2002.

From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026

The World Cup comes to North America on June 11, and our team of journalists will be covering every angle—from the action on the pitch to the economic, cultural and geopolitical dimensions behind it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

Football remains by far Iran's most popular sport and millions are expected to follow the team's progress in North America.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

Today, by far the largest number of people whose first language is English live in North America, with others scattered over the globe in Britain, Australia, and other countries.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond