What does discontinue mean?
Word: Discontinue
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Discontinue means to no longer make, offer or do something that was going on before.
Synonyms: end, cease, drop
Antonyms: continue, carry on
How do you spell discontinue?
Syllables: dis - con - tin - ue
Tricky part: The end is ue, exactly as in continue. Children writing by ear often put ew or just u.
Watch out for: discontinu, discontinoue, dicontinue
Memory tip: The u-e at the end works like glue holding the word together: continue, discontinue, glue.
Discontinue in a sentence
Example 1: The bus company will discontinue the late-night service.
Example 2: The doctor told Grandma to discontinue the tablets after a week.
Example 3: That model of phone has been discontinued.
Fun Fact
Shops often sell discontinued goods at a lower price to clear the last of the stock, because no new stock will arrive.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Choose the correct prefix to make a new word:
continue
a) un
b) non
c) mis
d) dis
Show answer
d) dis. Dis turns continue into its opposite.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
discontinue
a) stop
b) repeat
c) extend
d) begin
Show answer
a) stop. To discontinue something is to stop it.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) available
b) customer
c) discontinue
d) anouncement
Show answer
d) anouncement. Announcement needs two n's after the a.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
tuicdnoesin
a) continuous
b) discontinue
c) discounting
d) connections
Show answer
b) discontinue. Discounting needs a g, continuous has no d, and connections needs a second c, so the letters spell discontinue.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A shop puts up a notice: 'This biscuit is discontinued.' What does it mean?
a) it is free to try
b) it is a new flavour
c) it is no longer made
d) it is on sale today
Show answer
c) it is no longer made
2. Swimming classes were discontinued in winter and started again in March. In March they were...
a) halted
b) resumed
c) cancelled
d) ended
Show answer
b) resumed
