continue

[ kuhn-tin-yoo ]

verb (used without object)

, con·tin·ued, con·tin·u·ing.

1. to go on after suspension or interruption:

   The program continued after an intermission.

2. to go on or keep on, as in some course or action; extend:

   The road continues for three miles.

   Antonyms: cease

3. to last or endure:

   The strike continued for two months.

4. to remain in a particular state or capacity:

   The general agreed to continue in command of the army.

5. to remain in a place; abide; stay:

   Let us continue in this house forever.

verb (used with object)

, con·tin·ued, con·tin·u·ing.

1. to go on with or persist in:

   to continue an action.

2. to carry on from the point of suspension or interruption:

   He continued the concert after the latecomers were seated.

3. to extend from one point to another in space; prolong.
4. to say in continuation.
5. to cause to last or endure; maintain or retain, as in a position.
6. to carry over, postpone, or adjourn; keep pending, as a legal proceeding.

continue

/ kənˈtɪnjuː /

verb

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

   he continued running

3. when tr, may take an infinitive to resume after an interruption

   we'll continue after lunch

4. to draw out or be drawn out; prolong or be prolonged

   continue the chord until it meets the tangent

5. tr law to postpone or adjourn (legal proceedings)

Derived Forms

• conˈtinuer, noun
• conˈtinuingly, adverb
• conˈtinuable, adjective

Other Words From

• con·tinu·a·ble adjective
• con·tinu·er noun
• con·tinu·ing·ly adverb
• noncon·tinu·a·ble adjective
• noncon·tinu·a·bly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of continue¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of continue¹

C14: from Old French continuer, from Latin continuāre to join together, from continuus continuous

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

"It is difficult to say. In the existing data we cannot find an explanation for the effect, but we will now continue to study this process at a cellular and molecular level," says Olaf Bergmann.

From Science Daily

In a statement, AHF president Michael Weinstein said that the organization would continue to fight for renters.

From Los Angeles Times

“While Kim Jong Un is providing Vladimir Putin with a lifeline to continue his war, Russia is quietly providing North Korea with a lifeline of its own,” says Joe Byrne from the Open Source Centre.

From BBC

Bob Shrum, director of the Center for the Political Future at USC, said “we don’t know the final answer” yet as to whether Republican senators will continue to push back against Trump or other nominees.

From Los Angeles Times

“Until we have solved the problems of death and loneliness and their byproducts, war and climate change,” said Kate McKinnon, the ceremony’s host , “sensitive souls will continue to offer their theses of how to make the most of our fragile and fleeting time on this burning planet surrounded by other frightened hearts.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• advance
• carry on
• carry over
• endure
• extend
• go on
• last
• linger
• maintain
• persist
• progress
• promote
• pursue
• reach
• remain
• stay
• survive
• sustain