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

He said: "We need to make sure that trees are recognised, cared for and protected so that they can continue to support wildlife and communities for generations to come."

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

"We will continue to follow the lead of the FAA as our engineers work on the next software update," Boeing said in a statement to AFP.

From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026

Nacua and other Rams receivers continue to be awed by Adams after his back-to-back 100-yard performances.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

“The biggest issue we need to solve next to continue to grow the game off the field is fixing the payroll disparity unseen in any other major U.S. sport,” MLB spokesman Glen Caplin said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

Science will continue to evolve, and scientists will continue to stretch the bounds of what we know.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

Even in such a high-stress moment, the open road continues to draw newcomers who see opportunity where veterans see a crisis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

"We continue working with our partners across government and the fire and rescue sector to ensure the lessons of the Grenfell tragedy are learnt, and this continues to shape everything we do."

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

The researchers also describe Cajon Pass as an "earthquake gate": a fault junction that may help determine whether a large earthquake remains limited to one fault or continues across both fault systems.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026

Walt Disney Co. laid off nearly 300 workers this week, the latest wave in an industrywide consolidation that continues to reverberate throughout Southern California.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

“Put it on the list,” Mom says from across the room, and continues to be barked at by Dad about how he has an interview today and shouldn’t that be the priority?

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

During that long quiet period, tectonic stress has continued to build along parts of the fault system, raising longstanding questions about how a future large rupture might unfold.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026

Fire crews continued “mop-up” operations to ensure all hot spots were put out.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

He continued making wine around Napa Valley after he left, including, in recent years, at Patent Wines, where he was co-owner.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

The two sides produced another thrilling game, just as they did three months ago, exchanging 11 tries as the all-out attack approach to the new season continued.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

When he reached the other side, he did not even stop for Duane but continued on in the direction of his field where he wished to be left alone.

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

“Just continuing to come in and work on it. The jumper, I’ve been in the gym all summer working on fluidity and the speed of my release, stuff like that, moving,” James said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

That momentum is continuing into the futures market this morning.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

Protests are continuing across France as students take to the streets to voice their anger over school conditions.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

The most important step is getting started and continuing consistently.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026

“You’re heartless, Gregor Whitman,” I said, continuing forward, backing him up against the fence.

From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence

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