continue
gb/kəntˈɪnju/ us/kəntˈɪnju/
A2
English
~ 400
Senses
0 senses
Verb
A2
action
1
Keep doing something
To keep doing something without stopping.
Usage pattern:
to continue [doing something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'continue to do' and 'continue doing'; both are correct but may have slight emphasis differences.
Synonyms
persist (Slightly more formal; often used for determined effort despite difficulty.)
Antonyms
stop (Means to bring an action to an end.)
Collocations
continue working
|continue talking
|continue studying
|continue playing
Themes
daily life
|work
|education
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She continued talking even after the teacher asked for silence.
- We will continue working on the project tomorrow.
- He continued studying until late at night.
- The rain continued falling all afternoon.
- Please continue reading from where you left off.
Learner examples
- I will continue reading this book.
- They continue playing in the park.
- We continue working after lunch.
- She continues talking to her friend.
- The class will continue after the break.
Verb
A2
action
2
Resume after a pause
To start doing something again after stopping for a short time.
Usage pattern:
to continue [something] after [pause/interruption]
Synonyms
resume (More formal; often used in professional or official contexts.)
Antonyms
abandon (Means to give up on an activity completely.)
Collocations
continue after the break
|continue discussion
|continue journey
Themes
daily life
|work
|time
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- After lunch, we will continue our meeting.
- The movie will continue after these messages.
- He continued his journey after resting overnight.
- Let's continue the discussion tomorrow.
- The class will continue after the fire drill.
Learner examples
- We will continue the game after dinner.
- She continues her work after lunch.
- The lesson will continue after the break.
- I will continue my trip tomorrow.
- They continue their talk after the phone call.
Verb
B1
state
3
Exist or happen over time
To keep happening or to stay for some time.
Usage pattern:
to continue for [time period]
Synonyms
last (Often used for duration of events or objects; slightly more informal in some contexts.)
Antonyms
end (Means to finish or stop happening.)
Collocations
continue for hours
|continue until midnight
|continue throughout the year
Themes
time
|events
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The festival will continue for three days.
- The negotiations continued into the night.
- Her influence continues to this day.
- The strike will continue until demands are met.
- This tradition has continued for centuries.
Learner examples
- The rain continues all day.
- The meeting will continue for two hours.
- The party continues until morning.
- The show continues next week.
- The noise continues all night.
Grammar
Dictionary form
continue
IPA
GB/kəntˈɪnju/
US/kəntˈɪnju/
Syllables & stress
con - tin - ue (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (tin)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: continue
- 3rd Person Singular: continues
- Present Participle: continuing
- Past: continued
Word family
Forms
continues
verb
continuing
verb
continued
verb
Core family
Related words
Negative and opposite forms
discontinue
verb B2
discontinuation
noun
Advanced or less common
discontinuous
adjective
discontinuity
noun
Expressions
continue on
1/kəntˈɪnju ˈɔn/
phrasal verb
Keep moving forward
To keep going in the same direction or with the same plan.
Examples
- We decided to continue on despite the bad weather.
- After a short break, they continued on with their journey.
continue with
1/kəntˈɪnju wˈɪθ/
phrasal verb
Proceed with an activity
To keep doing a particular thing that you have already started.
Examples
- Let's continue with the next question.
- She continued with her work even during the storm.