continental drift

American  

[kon-tn-en-tl drift] / ˈkɒn tnˌɛn tl ˈdrɪft /

noun

1. Geology. the lateral movement of continents resulting from the motion of crustal plates.

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continental drift British  

noun

1. geology the theory that the earth's continents move gradually over the surface of the planet on a substratum of magma. The present-day configuration of the continents is thought to be the result of the fragmentation of a single landmass, Pangaea, that existed 200 million years ago See also plate tectonics

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continental drift Scientific  

1. A theory stating that the Earth's continents have been joined together and have moved away from each other at different times in the Earth's history. The theory was first proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1912. While his general idea of continental movement eventually became widely accepted, his explanation for the mechanism of the movement has been supplanted by the theory of plant tectonics.

2. See more at plate tectonics

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continental drift Cultural  

1. A term, no longer used by geologists, that refers to the fact that continents are not stationary, but move across the Earth's surface. Continental drift is one feature of the modern theory of plate tectonics. (See Pangaea.)

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Etymology

Origin of continental drift

First recorded in 1925–30

Compare meaning

How does continental-drift compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• continental drift vs. plate tectonics

Example Sentences

The resulting 1978 masterpiece—sublimely detailed and marvelously strange in its presentation of unseen ridges, troughs and endless plains—reflected the newly established theories of plate tectonics and continental drift.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

Earth isn’t an isolated terrarium, and life upon it has been as influenced by impacts and near misses as by continental drift.

From Slate • Oct. 21, 2024

"Major events like continental drift certainly influenced the diversification of mosquitoes," Wiegmann said.

From Science Daily • Oct. 18, 2023

The ship is named after Tharp, a woman whose work charting the ocean floor, and revealing its peaks and valleys, laid the groundwork for the theory of continental drift.

From Seattle Times • May 15, 2023

In 1953 he confessed: "I have never succeeded in freeing myself from a nagging prejudice against continental drift; in my geological bones, so to speak, I feel the hypothesis is a fantastic one."

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson