transcontinental
Americanadjective
-
passing or extending across a continent.
a transcontinental railroad.
-
on the other, or far, side of a continent.
adjective
-
crossing a continent
-
on or from the far side of a continent
Other Word Forms
- transcontinentally adverb
Etymology
Origin of transcontinental
An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; trans- + continental
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.
“The move primarily comes in response to significant volatility in the pricing and availability of key raw materials, increasing domestic and transcontinental logistics costs, and soaring packaging and energy costs,” the company said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026
The Sixers were making their return transcontinental trip to Perth in the space of six days, having stumbled in the qualifier.
From Barron's • Jan. 25, 2026
In July, Union Pacific agreed to buy Norfolk Southern for $72 billion, in a bid to create the first U.S. transcontinental railroad.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 31, 2025
The transcontinental merger is the rail industry’s main hope for reviving freight volumes, which have largely stagnated in recent years.
From Barron's • Dec. 29, 2025
It had been spreading quietly along the Kinshasa Highway, a transcontinental road that wanders across Africa from east to west and passes along the shores of Lake Victoria within sight of Mount Elgon.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
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.
