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

Like actual religion, to continue on versus stopping becomes a question of faith.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

But if he does decide he wants to continue his career into his 30s, much will rest on the process of which Kyrgios has been so critical.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

They continue to offer incentives and even price reductions in some markets as they try to unload their housing inventories and counter tepid demand.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

"The brain can continue to develop outside the context of a person for this unprecedented amount of time," explained Arlotta, a Harvard University professor.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

While my older siblings continue whispering about banks and loans and finance things I don’t understand, I’m stuck on the idea of the FBI invading our house.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

“SK Hynix continues to record record-breaking financial performance, maintaining its leadership in the AI memory market,” the company said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

John said the force understood the incident to be isolated to a residential address, but officers would remain in the area and provide updates as the investigation continues.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Actually, the U.S. government continues to grow its debt at an extraordinary pace.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

But the Reds/Generals would go on to lose their next 17,000 games, an unbroken streak of ignominy that continues to this day.

From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026

“This is your third infraction this week,” my supervisor continues, wedging herself in between me and the operator next to me.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Income and corporate tax rates across the globe have continued their decline since the 1980s, though at a slower pace in recent decades.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

After leaving ESPN, Rasmussen continued to serve as a consultant to sports rights holders and media companies and also maintained his own start-up ventures in sports.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

She said officers continued to head westbound before coming across debris in the dual carriageway and finding a badly damaged Toyota on the nearside verge.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

They discovered that the brain organoids continued to change and mature over the years, despite never having been inside an embryo, let alone a body.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

But they continued on because they had no choice, because I was the person who had answered the switchboard when they picked up the telephone.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Still, while Destry can bank on significant trust capital from the market, maintaining that confidence will ultimately depend on BI continuing to demonstrate policy independence and consistency, Maybank’s Lim said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Amazon, which tested the use of humanoid robots in its warehouses in 2023, told the BBC it is continuing its research into next-generation robotics.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

He added that once Arday had resigned, "What's the public interest in continuing to berate him?"

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

If you’re going to end up in Florida, then you might want to consider buying into a community that will adapt to your needs, like a continuing care retirement community.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

As I reflected upon the fact that all three girls were in school, I realized that they were continuing an amazing legacy.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

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