subcontinent
Americannoun
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a large, relatively self-contained landmass forming a subdivision of a continent.
The Himalayas arose when what is now the Indian subcontinent collided with the Eurasian Plate during the Cretaceous period.
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a large landmass, such as Greenland, that is smaller than any of the usually recognized continents.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of subcontinent
Explanation
A large and distinct section of a continent can be called a subcontinent. Many subcontinents are separated from the rest of a continent by geographical features. One of the most well-known subcontinents is the Indian subcontinent, which was once the country of India, but today includes Pakistan and Bangladesh. This area makes up a large section of Asia, in the form of a long peninsula that sits on a separate tectonic plate from the rest of the continent. Alaska is another subcontinent, geographically separate from the rest of North America.
Vocabulary lists containing subcontinent
South Asia - Introductory
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South Asia - Middle School and High School
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Early Civilizations of India, Lessons 1–4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Around 1.4 million people from the subcontinent – now India, Pakistan and Bangladesh – are known to have served in the British Indian Army in WW1.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
They deployed air force helicopters and other aircraft this week to transport copies of the freshly drafted paper around the country, including to remote areas of the vast Indian subcontinent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
El Nino can also suppress the monsoon over South Asia, depriving India and other parts of the subcontinent of vital rain that supports hundreds of millions of people.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
While it belonged to the extinct madtsoiidae family, researchers say it represents a unique lineage that originated on the Indian subcontinent.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 29, 2026
He traversed a subcontinent in blue suede shoes.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
