Definition of "continent" [con•ti•nent]

• One of the principal land masses of the earth, usually regarded as including Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. (noun)
• The mainland of Europe. Used with the. (noun)
• Exercising continence. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Mark, the antarctic continent is permanently below freezing, meaning the ice balance *in the continent* is primarily responsive to precipitation and ice flow rates rather than directly to temps."
• "Their claim to possession of the entire North American continent is based on an impressive array of statistics, historical records, and recent incidents of real or alleged abuses by the so-called White Supremacists, who allegedly stole the continent from the original inhabitants and have continued to oppress them ever since the so-called "discovery" of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492."
• "With policy at a roadblock in many European capitals, and much initiative focused upon national rather than international issues, the continent is at an effective standstill except for momentum generated by Brussels, especially through the EU's 2020 initiative."