Cancel vs. Continue — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Maham Liaqat — Updated on March 19, 2024
Cancel emphasizes ending or terminating an ongoing process, while continue signifies maintaining or prolonging the current state or activity.
Difference Between Cancel and Continue
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Cancel involves terminating or calling off an ongoing or planned activity, indicating a stop to its progression. On the other hand, continue implies carrying on with an activity or process without interruption.
While canceling usually requires a clear action or decision to halt what is currently happening or planned to happen, continuing might not always require an active decision or change. In many cases, continuation happens by default, without the need for a new decision or action, as in continuing with a routine without considering stopping.
Cancellation often involves an explicit statement or action indicating the desire to stop or terminate, such as canceling a reservation or subscription. In contrast, the act of continuing may sometimes require reaffirmation or renewal, especially in cases where an agreement or subscription is nearing its end. This can involve an explicit decision to renew a service or commitment, thereby choosing to continue rather than allowing it to expire or end.
Comparison Chart
Definition
Terminating or halting an ongoing or planned process.
Maintaining or prolonging a current activity or state.
Requirement
Requires a decision or action to stop.
May not require an active decision if by default.
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Action
Involves an explicit action to halt.
Might require reaffirmation for continuation.
Communication
Indicates a desire to stop or terminate.
May indicate a desire to maintain or extend.
Context
Often applied to services, events, or activities planned.
Commonly relates to activities, processes, or states continuing.
Compare with Definitions
Cancel
Terminating an ongoing service.
We had to cancel our cable service last month.
Continue
Maintaining the current state of affairs.
The company will continue to operate as usual during the renovation.
Cancel
Calling off scheduled events.
The concert was canceled due to bad weather.
Continue
Maintaining a recurring service or agreement.
After much thought, I chose to continue my magazine subscription.
Cancel
Stopping a process or event before its completion.
The meeting was canceled due to unforeseen circumstances.
Continue
Choosing to extend a service or activity.
We agreed to continue the lease for another year.
Cancel
Ending a recurring service or agreement.
I decided to cancel my magazine subscription.
Continue
Keeping an activity or process going.
Despite the challenges, the team decided to continue the project.
Cancel
Halting a purchase or order before fulfillment.
She canceled her online order after finding a better price.
Continue
Persisting in an effort or task.
He continued his studies despite financial difficulties.
Cancel
To annul or invalidate
Cancel a credit card.
Continue
To go on with a particular action or in a particular condition; persist
We continued until the job was finished.
Cancel
To decide or announce that (a planned or scheduled event) will not take place, especially with no intention of holding it at a later time
Cancel a picnic.
Cancel a soccer game.
Continue
To exist over a period; last
The meeting continued for another hour.
Cancel
To cross out with lines or other markings.
Continue
To remain in the same state, capacity, or place
She continued as mayor for a second term.
Cancel
To mark or perforate (a postage stamp or check, for example) to indicate that it may not be used again.
Continue
To go on after an interruption; resume
The negotiations continued after a break for dinner.
Cancel
To neutralize or equalize; offset
Today's decline in stock price canceled out yesterday's gain.
Continue
To extend in a given direction
The stream continues for another five miles before it reaches the lake.
Cancel
To remove (a common factor) from the numerator and denominator of a fractional expression.
Continue
To carry on; persist in
The police will continue their investigation. I continued reading all afternoon.
Cancel
To remove (a common factor or term) from both sides of an equation or inequality.
Continue
To carry further in time, space, or development; extend
The builder will continue the road right through the swamp.
Cancel
To neutralize one another; counterbalance
Two opposing forces that canceled out.
Continue
To cause to remain or last; retain or maintain
Are you continuing the prescription? The team continued its dominance over its opponents.
Cancel
The act or an instance of canceling; a cancellation.
Continue
To carry on after an interruption; resume
After a break for lunch, we continued our hike.
Cancel
(transitive) To cross out something with lines etc.
Continue
(Law) To postpone or adjourn.
Cancel
(transitive) To invalidate or annul something.
He cancelled his order on their website.
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?
Cancel
(transitive) To mark something (such as a used postage stamp) so that it can't be reused.
This machine cancels the letters that have a valid zip code.
Continue
(transitive) To make last; to prolong.
Cancel
(transitive) To offset or equalize something.
The corrective feedback mechanism cancels out the noise.
Continue
(transitive) To retain someone or something in a given state, position, etc.
Cancel
To remove a common factor from both the numerator and denominator of a fraction, or from both sides of an equation.
Continue
To remain in a given place or condition; to remain in connection with; to abide; to stay.
Cancel
To stop production of a programme.
Continue
(intransitive) To resume.
When will the concert continue?
Cancel
To suppress or omit; to strike out, as matter in type.
Continue
To adjourn, prorogue, put off.
This meeting has been continued to the thirteenth of July.
Cancel
(obsolete) To shut out, as with a railing or with latticework; to exclude.
Continue
(poker slang) To make a continuation bet.
Cancel
To cease to provide financial or moral support to (someone deemed unacceptable). Compare cancel culture.
Continue
(video games) An option allowing the player to resume play after game over, when all lives have been lost, while retaining their progress.
Cancel
A cancellation (US); (nonstandard in some kinds of English).
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.
Cancel
A control message posted to Usenet that serves to cancel a previously posted message.
Continue
To be permanent or durable; to endure; to last.
But now thy kingdom shall not continue.
Cancel
(obsolete) An enclosure; a boundary; a limit.
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.
Cancel
(printing) The suppression on striking out of matter in type, or of a printed page or pages.
Continue
To unite; to connect.
The use of the navel is to continue the infant unto the mother.
Cancel
(printing) The page thus suppressed.
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.
Cancel
(printing) The page that replaces it.
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.
Cancel
To inclose or surround, as with a railing, or with latticework.
A little obscure place canceled in with iron work is the pillar or stump at which . . . our Savior was scourged.
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.
Cancel
To shut out, as with a railing or with latticework; to exclude.
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
Cancel
To cross and deface, as the lines of a writing, or as a word or figure; to mark out by a cross line; to blot out or obliterate.
A deed may be avoided by delivering it up to be cancelled; that is, to have lines drawn over it in the form of latticework or cancelli; though the phrase is now used figuratively for any manner of obliterating or defacing it.
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
Cancel
To annul or destroy; to revoke or recall.
The indentures were canceled.
He was unwilling to cancel the interest created through former secret services, by being refractory on this occasion.
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
Cancel
To suppress or omit; to strike out, as matter in type.
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
Cancel
An inclosure; a boundary; a limit.
A prison is but a retirement, and opportunity of serious thoughts, to a person whose spirit . . . desires no enlargement beyond the cancels of the body.
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
Cancel
The suppression or striking out of matter in type, or of a printed page or pages.
Continue
Carry forward;
We continued our research into the cause of the illness
Cancel
A notation cancelling a previous sharp or flat
Continue
Continue after an interruption;
The demonstration continued after a break for lunch
Cancel
Postpone indefinitely or annul something that was scheduled;
Call off the engagement
Cancel the dinner party
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
Cancel
Make up for;
His skills offset his opponent's superior strength
Continue
Exist over a prolonged period of time;
The bad weather continued for two more weeks
Cancel
Declare null and void; make ineffective;
Cancel the election results
Strike down a law
Cancel
Remove or make invisible;
Please delete my name from your list
Cancel
Of cheques or tickets
Common Curiosities
What does it mean to cancel something?
Canceling something means to terminate or halt an ongoing or planned activity or process.
What does continue mean in a process?
In a process, to continue means to keep the process going without interruption.
Is it possible to continue something indefinitely?
Yes, some processes or activities can be continued indefinitely, depending on the context and resources available.
Can you cancel a subscription at any time?
Yes, most subscriptions can be canceled at any time, but terms may vary depending on the service provider.
What happens when a subscription is continued?
When a subscription is continued, the service and payments are maintained without interruption.
What is a continuation fee?
A continuation fee is a charge for extending a service or agreement beyond the original terms.
Can a canceled event be rescheduled?
Yes, a canceled event can often be rescheduled, depending on the circumstances and availability.
How do I cancel an online order?
You can usually cancel an online order through the retailer's website or by contacting their customer service.
How does canceling a subscription affect access?
Canceling a subscription usually results in loss of access to the service at the end of the current billing cycle.
Can I continue a trial subscription?
Yes, you can often continue a trial subscription by transitioning to a paid subscription.
What's the difference between cancel and terminate?
Cancel often implies stopping something before it completes, while terminate can mean to bring something to an end at any point.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
