English Reference
noun

continuation

n.
US /kənˌtɪnjuˈeɪʃən/ UK /kəntˌɪnjuːˈeɪʃən/ con·tin·u·a·tion UK spelling continuation's, continuation's

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    the act of starting again or keeping something going without stopping.

    the act or state of continuing an activity or process without interruption or after a brief pause.

    Simple

    The continuation of the strike caused many problems for commuters.

    In context

    The board of directors voted for the continuation of the current policy, despite significant pressure from shareholders to pivot toward a more aggressive strategy.

    prolongationextensionresumption
  2. 02 B2 Upper Intermediate

    a part that is added to something to make it longer or to finish it.

    something that extends, supplements, or carries on a previous part or series.

    Simple

    You can read the continuation of this story on page ten.

    In context

    The second volume serves as a direct continuation of the first, picking up the narrative exactly where the previous chapter concluded.

  3. 03 C2 Proficiency Technical Computing

    a saved record of what a computer program is doing at a specific moment so it can be restarted later.

    a data structure representing the execution state of a program at a specific point, allowing the control flow to be resumed later.

    Simple

    The programmer used a continuation to handle the result of the web request.

    In context

    By capturing the current continuation, the language runtime can suspend the execution of a coroutine and resume it once the I/O operation completes.

    Usage

    Often used in the context of functional programming and asynchronous operations.

  4. 04 C1 Advanced American English Sport

    a shot in basketball that counts even if a foul happened while the player was moving to shoot.

    a successful shot made with a single continuous motion beginning before a foul, which is ruled valid under specific league regulations.

    Simple

    The referee ruled it was a continuation, so the basket counted.

    In context

    The veteran player expertly drew the contact while already in his shooting motion, earning a continuation and a chance for a three-point play.

Iranian officials and state media have largely dismissed the campaign as a continuation of previous US economic measures, which they argue followed Washington's military failure in the recent conflict.

BBC News· 31 Aug 2026

This, however, looked like the worrying continuation of a pattern of defeat and despair.

BBC News· 22 Aug 2026

From Middle English continuacion, from Old French continuation, from Latin continuātiō. Morphologically continue + -ation.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Latin continuātiō
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated