Synonyms

continue

American

[kuhn-tin-yoo] / kənˈtɪn ju /

verb (used without object)

to go on after suspension or interruption.

The program continued after an intermission.
to go on or keep on, as in some course or action; extend.

The road continues for three miles.

Antonyms:

cease
to last or endure.

The strike continued for two months.
to remain in a particular state or capacity.

The general agreed to continue in command of the army.
to remain in a place; abide; stay.

Let us continue in this house forever.

verb (used with object)

to go on with or persist in.

to continue an action.
to carry on from the point of suspension or interruption.

He continued the concert after the latecomers were seated.
to extend from one point to another in space; prolong.
to say in continuation.
to cause to last or endure; maintain or retain, as in a position.
to carry over, postpone, or adjourn; keep pending, as a legal proceeding.

continue British

/ kənˈtɪnjuː /

verb

(when tr, may take an infinitive) to remain or cause to remain in a particular condition, capacity, or place
(when tr, may take an infinitive) to carry on uninterruptedly (a course of action); persist in (something)

he continued running
(when tr, may take an infinitive) to resume after an interruption

we'll continue after lunch
to draw out or be drawn out; prolong or be prolonged

continue the chord until it meets the tangent
(tr) law to postpone or adjourn (legal proceedings)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

Where does continue come from? Continue entered English around 1300–50. Coming into English through French, continue ultimately comes from the Latin continuāre, meaning “to make all one, join together, connect.” This verb could also mean, much like its English derivative, “to carry on, draw out, prolong, last”—that is, to continue. The Latin verb continuāre is formed from the adjective continuus. Does continuus look familiar? It’s the direct source of the English continuous, meaning “uninterrupted in time; without cessation” or “being in immediate connection or spatial relationship.”The Latin adjective continuus meant “uninterrupted, unbroken, continuous.” That’s right: continuus meant, well, continuous. Sometimes, there is a great a deal of continuity in word development. But we’re not done yet. The Latin continuus is itself ultimately based on another verb, continēre, “to hold or keep together.” So, something that continues—that is, it goes on, keeps on, or endures in some way—stays all held together, in an etymological manner of speaking. Dig deeperWe noted above that continue is ultimately connected to continēre, “to hold together.” Continēre is the source of some other familiar English words, including contain, continent, and content. Does knowing that all these words come from a verb meaning “to hold together” give you any deeper insights into these words?For all this talk of holding things together, we can, er, continue breaking apart the roots of the Latin verb continēre. It is composed of con-, a productive prefix with the sense of “with, together,” and tenēre, “to hold.”Derivations of tenēre appears in a great many English words, including detain, detention, entertain, tenacious, tenant, tenet, retain, retention, sustain, and sustenance. But don’t be fooled. While detain is related to detention and retain to retention, contain is not related to contention, or “strife, contest, controversy.” Contention is derived from the same Latin root that gives English contend.

Synonym Usage

Continue, endure, persist, persevere, last, remain imply existing uninterruptedly for an appreciable length of time. Continue implies duration or existence without break or interruption. Endure, used of people or things, implies persistent continuance against influences that tend to weaken, undermine, or destroy. Persist and persevere, used principally of people, both imply firm and steadfast continuance in the face of opposition. Persist suggests human opposition: He persisted after he had been warned; and persevere suggests opposition from any source, often an impersonal one: He persevered despite fatigue. Last often applies to something that holds out to a desired end, fresh, unimpaired, or unexhausted, sometimes under conditions that tend to produce the opposite effect: They had provisions enough to last all winter. Remain is especially applied to what continues without change in its essential state: He remained a bachelor.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of continue

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin continuāre “to make all one,” verbal derivative of continuus continuous

Explanation

To continue an activity is to keep it going, either with or without interruption. If you ask the newspaper to continue delivering your paper while you are on vacation, you want to receive all the news while you’re away. The verb continue is related to the word continuous, from the Latin word continuare, meaning “join together” or “connect.” When anything goes on without a break, like the middle school variety show, it continues, uninterrupted. You can also continue something that was paused or set aside. You could, for instance, continue watching the movie that you paused when the pizza was delivered and then continue to drive your parents crazy by texting your friends while watching the movie with them.

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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.

See Examples For:

continue continues continued continuing

The Home Office says it "will continue to support police" in tackling organised vehicle theft and provides £300,000 a year to help strengthen its response, mainly to the National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

The central bank is “well-positioned to respond effectively to any risk to medium-term price stability and will continue to closely monitor economic developments,” it said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

Anthropic researchers continue to publicize new safety risks posed by artificial-intelligence models ahead of the company’s highly anticipated IPO.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

In court, Xu’s defense team presented a report from a toxicologist concluding that it was unlikely Yuan would continue to suffer adverse health effects from cadmium, according to the Standard.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

Sensing Duane’s disappointment, and genuinely wanting to show some gratitude for his new name, Handsome added, “Otherwise, I’d be more than willing to continue on.”

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

Snapping a three-year downturn, factory-gate prices have now risen for seven straight months as the Middle East conflict continues to drive up oil costs and strong global demand for Chinese tech products sustains robust exports.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

Hobrough said the 1,535 officer-strong force would use the additional detectives if the same trend continues next year, but did not specify where they would come from or how the scheme would work.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

“Something must have gone horribly wrong and continues to go horribly wrong.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

But the diversity of cultures in the United States means there is no standard rule when it comes to birthday dinners, which is perhaps why the debate continues online.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

“Good. I’m glad. But if this continues, I’ll need to talk to his parents soon. You know that.”

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

All had continued to experience symptoms despite at least three months of conventional care, including physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications, and injections into the knee.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

"The family are utterly devastated by their loss and are struggling to come to terms with what has happened," the statement continued.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

She wrote that she continued to suffer from liver and gastrointestinal issues that she believed were a result of cadmium poisoning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

When Candle Media, backed by major investment firm Blackstone, took a majority stake, the actress-entrepreneur continued to be involved in managing Hello Sunshine.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

Hesterfowl ignored Clare’s questions and continued searching the floor.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

It gathers against a daunting backdrop of external risks, continuing to monitor oil market developments, bond yield volatility and the risk of an AI investment pullback.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

We’re continuing to report on heat impacts and would love to hear from readers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

Earlier this month, he hinted that he may be interested in continuing the Breaking Bad story, external, but said any revival would have a lot to live up to.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Its galaxies are continuing to come together as the larger cluster takes shape.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

I slurped on a lime Popsicle, continuing my quest to survive on frozen treats, and leafed through the pages, wondering which part to draw next.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023