continue meaning and definition

CONTINUE verb

Definition of continue (verb)

1. continue a certain state, condition, or activity
   • "Keep on working!"; "We continued to work into the night"; "Keep smiling"; "We went on working until well past midnight"
   • synonyms: go along, go on, keep, proceed
   • antonym: discontinue
2. continue talking
   • "I know it's hard," he continued, "but there is no choice"; "carry on--pretend we are not in the room"
   • synonyms: carry on, go on, proceed
3. keep or maintain in unaltered condition; cause to remain or last
   • "preserve the peace in the family"; "continue the family tradition"; "Carry on the old traditions"
   • synonyms: bear on, carry on, preserve, uphold
   • antonym: cease
4. move ahead; travel onward in time or space
   • "We proceeded towards Washington"; "She continued in the direction of the hills"; "We are moving ahead in time now"
   • synonyms: go forward, proceed
5. allow to remain in a place or position or maintain a property or feature
   • "We cannot continue several servants any longer"; "She retains a lawyer"; "The family's fortune waned and they could not keep their household staff"; "Our grant has run out and we cannot keep you on"; "We kept the work going as long as we could"; "She retained her composure"; "this garment retains its shape even after many washings"
   • synonyms: keep, keep on, retain
6. do something repeatedly and showing no intention to stop
   • "We continued our research into the cause of the illness"; "The landlord persists in asking us to move"
   • synonyms: persist in
7. continue after an interruption
   • "The demonstration continued after a break for lunch"
8. continue in a place, position, or situation
   • "After graduation, she stayed on in Cambridge as a student adviser"; "Stay with me, please"; "despite student protests, he remained Dean for another year"; "She continued as deputy mayor for another year"
   • synonyms: remain, stay, stay on
9. span an interval of distance, space or time
   • "The war extended over five years"; "The period covered the turn of the century"; "My land extends over the hills on the horizon"; "This farm covers some 200 acres"; "The Archipelago continues for another 500 miles"
   • synonyms: cover, extend
10. exist over a prolonged period of time
    • "The bad weather continued for two more weeks"