Ask Difference

Continue vs. Follow — What's the Difference?

By Maham Liaqat & Fiza Rafique — Updated on April 17, 2024
Continue implies persisting in an action or state, while follow means to go or come after something or someone in sequence or pursuit.
Continue vs. Follow — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Continue and Follow

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Key Differences

Continue is used to describe the action of carrying on with a process or activity without interruption, suggesting a seamless progression in the same direction or manner. Whereas, follow often indicates a physical or metaphorical action of coming after something or someone, implying a sequence where one thing comes after another.
In contexts of use, continue can apply to various activities like continuing a conversation, a journey, or a task. On the other hand, follow is used when one is physically going behind someone or something, or when adhering to instructions, guidelines, or trends.
With respect to time, to continue can also mean to remain in a particular state or condition over a period. While, to follow can involve actions that occur after a preceding event, either immediately or after some time.
In terms of implications, continuing something often carries the connotation of persistence and dedication. Whereas, following might suggest dependency or adherence to the actions or decisions of others.
Regarding their usage in speech and writing, "continue" is often paired with gerunds or infinitives to indicate ongoing actions (e.g., continue reading, continue to play). Whereas, "follow" is typically used with objects that represent the leader, path, or set of rules (e.g., follow me, follow the path, follow the rules).
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Comparison Chart

Basic Definition

To persist in an activity
To go or come after

Contexts of Use

Activities, tasks, states
Sequences, adherence, tracking

Temporal Aspect

Ongoing over time
Subsequent actions

Connotations

Persistence, dedication
Dependency, adherence

Typical Combinations

Continue + gerund/infinitive
Follow + object

Compare with Definitions

Continue

To keep doing something.
She decided to continue her studies despite the challenges.

Follow

To understand or pay attention to.
I couldn’t follow the lecture at all.

Continue

To extend beyond a point.
The road continues for several miles north.

Follow

To go along a route.
Follow the river until you reach the bridge.

Continue

To resume after interruption.
The series will continue next week with a new episode.

Follow

To come after in sequence.
Night follows day.

Continue

To remain in a state.
The weather is expected to continue cold and rainy.

Follow

To engage with someone’s updates (social media).
Millions of fans follow her on Instagram.

Continue

To not stop or pause.
The team will continue working through the night.

Follow

To act according to (rules, instructions).
He always follows the doctor’s orders.

Continue

To go on with a particular action or in a particular condition; persist
We continued until the job was finished.

Follow

Go or come after (a person or thing proceeding ahead); move or travel behind
The men followed in another car
She went back into the house, and Ben followed her

Continue

To exist over a period; last
The meeting continued for another hour.

Follow

Come after in time or order
The rates are as follows
The six years that followed his restoration

Continue

To remain in the same state, capacity, or place
She continued as mayor for a second term.

Follow

Act according to (an instruction or precept)
He has difficulty in following written instructions

Continue

To go on after an interruption; resume
The negotiations continued after a break for dinner.

Follow

Pay close attention to
I've been following this discussion closely

Continue

To extend in a given direction
The stream continues for another five miles before it reaches the lake.

Follow

Practise (a trade or profession).

Continue

To carry on; persist in
The police will continue their investigation. I continued reading all afternoon.

Follow

To come or go after; proceed behind
Follow the usher to your seat.

Continue

To carry further in time, space, or development; extend
The builder will continue the road right through the swamp.

Follow

To go after in pursuit
Would follow his enemy to the ends of the earth.

Continue

To cause to remain or last; retain or maintain
Are you continuing the prescription? The team continued its dominance over its opponents.

Follow

To keep under surveillance
The agent followed the suspect around town.

Continue

To carry on after an interruption; resume
After a break for lunch, we continued our hike.

Follow

To move along the course of; take
We followed the path.

Continue

(Law) To postpone or adjourn.

Follow

To move in the direction of; be guided by
Followed the sun westward.
Followed the signs to the zoo.

Continue

(transitive) To proceed with doing an activity; to prolong an activity.
Shall I continue speaking, or will you just interrupt me again?
Do you want me to continue to unload these?

Follow

To lie in the same path as
The road follows the old trading route.

Continue

(transitive) To make last; to prolong.

Follow

To be parallel to
The road follows the river.

Continue

(transitive) To retain someone or something in a given state, position, etc.

Follow

To accept the guidance, command, or leadership of
Follow a spiritual master.
Rebels who refused to follow their leader.

Continue

To remain in a given place or condition; to remain in connection with; to abide; to stay.

Follow

To adhere to; practice
Followed family traditions.

Continue

(intransitive) To resume.
When will the concert continue?

Follow

To take as a model or precedent; imitate
Followed my example and resigned.

Continue

To adjourn, prorogue, put off.
This meeting has been continued to the thirteenth of July.

Follow

To act in agreement or compliance with; obey
Follow the rules.
Follow one's instincts.

Continue

(poker slang) To make a continuation bet.

Follow

To keep to or stick to
Followed the recipe.
Follow a diet.

Continue

(video games) An option allowing the player to resume play after game over, when all lives have been lost, while retaining their progress.

Follow

To engage in (a trade or occupation); work at.

Continue

To remain in a given place or condition; to remain in connection with; to abide; to stay.
Here to continue, and build up hereA growing empire.
They continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat.

Follow

To come after in order, time, or position
Night follows day.

Continue

To be permanent or durable; to endure; to last.
But now thy kingdom shall not continue.

Follow

To bring something about at a later time than or as a consequence of
She followed her lecture with a question-and-answer period. The band followed its hit album with a tour.

Continue

To be steadfast or constant in any course; to persevere; to abide; to endure; to persist; to keep up or maintain a particular condition, course, or series of actions; as, the army continued to advance.
If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.

Follow

To occur or be evident as a consequence of
Your conclusion does not follow your premise.

Continue

To unite; to connect.
The use of the navel is to continue the infant unto the mother.

Follow

To watch or observe closely
Followed the bird through binoculars.

Continue

To protract or extend in duration; to preserve or persist in; to cease not.
O continue thy loving kindness unto them that know thee.
You know how to make yourself happy by only continuing such a life as you have been long accustomed to lead.

Follow

To be attentive to; pay close heed to
Too sleepy to follow the sermon.

Continue

To carry onward or extend; to prolong or produce; to add to or draw out in length.
A bridge of wond'rous length,From hell continued, reaching th' utmost orbof this frail world.

Follow

To keep oneself informed of the course, progress, or fortunes of
Follow the stock market.
Followed the local teams.

Continue

To retain; to suffer or cause to remain; as, the trustees were continued; also, to suffer to live.
And how shall we continue Claudio.

Follow

To grasp the meaning or logic of; understand
Do you follow my argument?.

Continue

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

Follow

To come, move, or take place after another person or thing in order or time.

Continue

Continue with one's activities;
I know it's hard,
But there is no choice
Carry on--pretend we are not in the room

Follow

To occur or be evident as a consequence; result
If you ignore your diet, trouble will follow.

Continue

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

Follow

To grasp the meaning or reasoning of something; understand.

Continue

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

Follow

(Games) A billiards shot in which the cue ball is struck above center so that it follows the path of the object ball after impact.

Continue

Allow to remain in a place or position;
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

Follow

(ambitransitive) To go after; to pursue; to move behind in the same path or direction, especially with the intent of catching.
Follow that car!
She left the room and I followed.

Continue

Carry forward;
We continued our research into the cause of the illness

Follow

(ambitransitive) To go or come after in a sequence.
B follows A in the alphabet.
We both ordered the soup, with roast beef to follow.

Continue

Continue after an interruption;
The demonstration continued after a break for lunch

Follow

(transitive) To carry out (orders, instructions, etc.).
Follow these instructions to the letter.

Continue

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

Follow

(transitive) To live one's life according to (religion, teachings, etc).

Continue

Exist over a prolonged period of time;
The bad weather continued for two more weeks

Follow

(transitive) To understand, to pay attention to.
Do you follow me?

Follow

(transitive) To watch, to keep track of (reports of) some event or person.
I followed the incumbent throughout the election.
My friends don't regularly follow the news.

Follow

To subscribe to see content from an account on a social media platform.
If you want to see more of our articles, follow us on Twitter.

Follow

(ambitransitive) To be a logical consequence of something.
It follows that if two numbers are not equal then one is larger than the other.
If you don't practise proper hygiene, illness is sure to follow.

Follow

(transitive) To walk in, as a road or course; to attend upon closely, as a profession or calling.

Follow

In billiards and similar games, a stroke causing a ball to follow another ball after hitting it.
A follow shot

Follow

(social media) The act of following another user's online activity.

Follow

To go or come after; to move behind in the same path or direction; hence, to go with (a leader, guide, etc.); to accompany; to attend.
It waves me forth again; I'll follow it.

Follow

To endeavor to overtake; to go in pursuit of; to chase; to pursue; to prosecute.
I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them.

Follow

To accept as authority; to adopt the opinions of; to obey; to yield to; to take as a rule of action; as, to follow good advice.
Approve the best, and follow what I approve
Follow peace with all men.
It is most agreeable to some men to follow their reason; and to others to follow their appetites.

Follow

To copy after; to take as an example.
We had rather follow the perfections of them whom we like not, than in defects resemble them whom we love.

Follow

To succeed in order of time, rank, or office.

Follow

To result from, as an effect from a cause, or an inference from a premise.

Follow

To watch, as a receding object; to keep the eyes fixed upon while in motion; to keep the mind upon while in progress, as a speech, musical performance, etc.; also, to keep up with; to understand the meaning, connection, or force of, as of a course of thought or argument.
He followed with his eyes the flitting shade.

Follow

To walk in, as a road or course; to attend upon closely, as a profession or calling.
O, had I but followed the arts!
O Antony! I have followed thee to this.

Follow

To go or come after; - used in the various senses of the transitive verb: To pursue; to attend; to accompany; to be a result; to imitate.

Follow

The art or process of following; specif., in some games, as billiards, a stroke causing a ball to follow another ball after hitting it. Also used adjectively; as, follow shot.

Follow

To travel behind, go after, come after;
The ducklings followed their mother around the pond
Please follow the guide through the museum

Follow

Be later in time;
Tuesday always follows Monday

Follow

Come as a logical consequence; follow logically;
It follows that your assertion is false
The theorem falls out nicely

Follow

Travel along a certain course;
Follow the road
Follow the trail

Follow

Act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes;
He complied with my instructions
You must comply or else!
Follow these simple rules
Abide by the rules

Follow

Come after in time, as a result;
A terrible tsunami followed the earthquake

Follow

Behave in accordance or in agreement with;
Follow a pattern
Follow my example

Follow

Be next;
Mary plays best, with John and Sue following

Follow

Choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans;
She followed the feminist movement
The candidate espouses Republican ideals

Follow

To bring something about at a later time than;
She followed dinner with a brandy
He followed his lecture with a question and answer period

Follow

Imitate in behavior; take as a model;
Teenagers follow their friends in everything

Follow

Follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something;
We must follow closely the economic development is Cuba
Trace the student's progress

Follow

Follow with the eyes or the mind;
Keep an eye on the baby, please!
The world is watching Sarajevo
She followed the men with the binoculars

Follow

Be the successor (of);
Carter followed Ford
Will Charles succeed to the throne?

Follow

Perform an accompaniment to;
The orchestra could barely follow the frequent pitch changes of the soprano

Follow

Keep informed;
He kept up on his country's foreign policies

Follow

To be the product or result;
Melons come from a vine
Understanding comes from experience

Follow

Accept and follow the leadership or command or guidance of;
Let's follow our great helmsman!
She followed a guru for years

Follow

Adhere to or practice;
These people still follow the laws of their ancient religion

Follow

Work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a specific function;
He is a herpetologist
She is our resident philosopher

Follow

Keep under surveillance;
The police had been following him for weeks but they could not prove his involvement in the bombing

Follow

Follow in or as if in pursuit;
The police car pursued the suspected attacker
Her bad deed followed her and haunted her dreams all her life

Follow

Grasp the meaning;
Can you follow her argument?
When he lectures, I cannot follow

Follow

Keep to;
Stick to your principles
Stick to the diet

Common Curiosities

Is "continue" used only in progressive tenses?

No, "continue" can be used in various tenses depending on the context and the aspect of continuity being emphasized.

How does "follow" relate to leadership?

In leadership contexts, "follow" means to accept the guidance or commands of the leader.

What is a common context for using "follow"?

A common context for using "follow" is in giving or receiving directions.

Can "follow" imply non-physical actions?

Yes, "follow" can imply non-physical actions such as adhering to rules or guidelines.

Is "follow" passive in nature?

"Follow" can have a passive connotation, as it often involves actions dictated by others.

What does it mean to continue something?

To continue something means to persist in doing it without interruption.

What does "continue" suggest about commitment?

"Continue" suggests a level of commitment and determination to persist with something.

Can "continue" imply indefinite duration?

Yes, "continue" can imply actions or states that last for an indefinite period.

How does "continue" interact with other verbs?

"Continue" often pairs with other verbs in gerund or infinitive forms to describe ongoing actions.

Can "follow" be used in a figurative sense?

Yes, "follow" can be used figuratively, such as in following someone's example.

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Author Spotlight

Written by
Maham Liaqat
Co-written by
Fiza Rafique
Fiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.

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