continents

Cultural  

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.

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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

Swatch was forced to close stores on three continents over the weekend after fans and watch profiteers overwhelmed the debut of the manufacturer’s tie-up with luxury brand Audemars Piguet.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft tour sold out every one of its 106 shows across four continents.

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026

"It was the first global trade, connecting three continents," said Francis Navarro, director of archives at the Ateneo de Manila University.

From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026

The Ladies European Tour's PIF Global Series includes five events in three continents, with tournaments in England, Las Vegas, Seoul, Shenzhen and Riyadh where prize funds total $15m.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

Hence geographic variation in whether, or when, the peoples of different continents became farmers and herders explains to a large extent their subsequent contrasting fates.

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