Definition of "continental" []

• Of, relating to, or characteristic of a continent. (adjective)
• Of or relating to the mainland of Europe; European. (adjective)
• Of or relating to the American colonies during and immediately after the American Revolution. (adjective)
• Used as an intensive: "Blaine, Blaine, James G. Blaine,/The continental liar from the state of Maine.” ( Grover Cleveland). (adjective)
• An inhabitant of a continent. (noun)

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.

• "The difference between the ice streams of the mountains and those which we term continental depends solely on the areas of the fields and the depth of the accumulation."
• "The term continental US also means the 48 contiguous states, although Alaska is geographically part of the continental US."
• "I use "brunch" advisedly because it was really just doughnuts, bagels, and muffins -- what they call a continental breakfast in this country."