continents

1. The large parts of the surface of the Earth that rise above sea level. The seven major continents are Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.

According to the theory of plate tectonics, continents move along piggy-back on the tectonic plates like rafts floating on water.

Continents are made from the lightest rocks in the Earth. Some of these are also the oldest known rocks on Earth, with an age of 3.5 billion years, measured by radioactive dating.

Example Sentences

Mr. Winter’s streetside photographs range across continents and capture his enthusiasm for all things vehicular.

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That said, her last tour had 97 shows on two continents in less than a year.

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He didn’t, of course; there were oceans and continents between Delaware and Turkey, but he imagined how it would all unfold.

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Ocean islands such as Christmas Island in the northeast Indian Ocean often contain unusually high concentrations of certain "enriched" elements that typically come from continents.

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Humans cooperate well in close-knit groups—family, friends, professional and civic associations—but struggle immensely in large, abstract collectives that span nations or continents.

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