supercontinent

noun

su·​per·​con·​ti·​nent ˈsü-pər-ˌkän-tə-nənt 

-ˌkänt-nənt

: a hypothetical former large continent from which other continents are held to have broken off and drifted away

Examples of supercontinent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the Cold War, Washington—twice burned by Eurasian conflagrations—opted to keep the supercontinent from combusting again. —Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025

The supercontinent began to break up around 180 million years ago and had a diverse climate across the huge land mass. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2025

After putting all that information together, the team came up with a likely location — an equatorial supercontinent known as Gondwana. —Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 23 Jan. 2025

Australia’s theropod fauna could have played a pivotal role in the ecosystems of the ancient supercontinent Gondwana. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 19 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for supercontinent

• continent
• incontinent
• subcontinent

Kids Definition

supercontinent

noun

su·​per·​con·​ti·​nent ˈsü-pər-ˌkänt-ᵊn-ənt 

-ˌkänt-nənt

: a former large continent which is assumed to have existed and from which other continents broke off and drifted away