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

• North American adjective

Etymology

Origin of North America

First recorded in 1680–90

Example Sentences

Researchers spend "days, weeks, in some cases months" in the dense forestry of North America, says Lewis, "with many spurred on by childhood encounters or brought into the pursuit by someone close to them".

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

“People are finally getting around to the idea that we are at war,” said Cindy Beaulieu, chief investment officer at Conning North America, speaking in the wake of Trump’s Wednesday night address on Iran.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 2, 2026

Hyundai North America Chief Executive Randy Parker said Wednesday that he expects elevated fuel prices for the foreseeable future.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

What’s Next: Handler expects Super Mario Galaxy to surpass $500 million in North America and break $1 billion globally.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

On June 2, 2006, the church was filled with our new American friends and with Lost Boys and Girls from all over North America.

From "Lost Boy, Lost Girl" by John Bul Dau