tectonic plates
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The plates are not the same as the continents. The North American plate, for example, extends from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean to the west coast of the United States and Canada. These plates are about thirty miles thick.
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.
“This is a shifting of the tectonic plates of Scottish football. We’re here to stay now.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
These currents are closely tied to the movement of tectonic plates, and they do more than just shift the plates above.
From Science Daily • Apr. 23, 2026
“Some of the larger risks are much like tectonic plates, always moving and periodically causing earthquakes and volcanoes when they crash into each other,” he said.
From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026
He said "the old order isn't coming back," adding: "The tectonic plates have shifted. There is profound change".
From BBC • Jan. 23, 2026
The tectonic plates surrounding the Pacific Ocean are converging, or moving toward each other, resulting in a rough arc of subduction faults around the edge of the ocean.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
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.
