Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - continuous

1. A continuous process or event continues for a period of time without stopping. Residents report that they heard continuous gunfire. ...all employees who had a record of five years’ continuous employment with the firm... = unbroken ADJ: usu ADJ n • continuously The civil war has raged almost continuously since 1976... It is the oldest continuously inhabited city in America. ADV: usu ADV with v 2. A continuous line or surface has no gaps or holes in it. ...a continuous line of boats. ADJ: usu ADJ n 3. In English grammar, continuous verb groups are formed using the auxiliary ‘be’ and the present participle of a verb, as in ‘I’m feeling a bit tired’ and ‘She had been watching them for some time’. Continuous verb groups are used especially when you are focusing on a particular moment. Compare simple. = progressive ADJ