Continue vs. Resume

These verbs are synonyms but they differ in their scope of meaning. We are going to discuss this difference in this lesson.

What is the difference between 'continue' and 'resume'?

'Continue' generally means to keep on happening or existing without being stopped, but it can also mean to start again after an interruption. In both meanings, it is closely related to 'resume' which means to restart doing something after an interruption. This lesson will highlight the difference in scope of these two verbs.

Difference in Scope

As the meanings of the two verbs suggests, 'continue' is a more general term that can be used to refer to states or actions that keep on happening without interruption as well as actions that are started again after an interruption or pause. 'Resume', on the other hand, is more specific and implies that an action or state was temporarily paused and is now being started again. Take a look at some examples:

Let's continue the meeting until the lunch break.

This sentence suggests that the meeting is not stopped until a specific time.

Let's resume the meeting after the lunch break.

This sentence implies that the meeting will be interrupted to have lunch and will start again after that.

Let's continue the meeting after the lunch break.

In this sentence, 'continue' is synonyms with 'resume'. It is a more general term and can cover both meanings.

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