discontinue

/ˌdɪskənˈtɪnjuː/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌdɪskənˈtɪnjuː/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌdis-kən-ˈtin-(ˌ)yü/ (ame, mw)

discontinue — verb

  • discontinuepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • discontinueshe / she / it
  • discontinuedpast simple
  • discontinuing-ing form

1. to choose to stop doing something that you have been doing regularly, or to stop

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

to choose to stop doing something that you have been doing regularly, or to stop providing a product or service that you had been offering — for example, discontinuing a weekly subscription, a direct flight route, or a type of medication.

例句

The airline decided to discontinue its direct flight to Prague after passenger numbers fell.

discontinue + direct flight (service)

Dr. Okafor discontinued the treatment when tests showed it was no longer helping.

discontinue + treatment (medical context)

同義詞
  • stop

    more general and less formal; works for any ongoing action, not just services or products

  • cease

    more formal, often implies a gradual or natural ending rather than a deliberate decision

  • suspend

    implies a temporary stop, with the possibility of restarting later

  • abandon

    stronger, suggesting giving up completely, often with a sense of waste or failure

反義詞
  • continue

    the direct opposite: to keep doing or providing something without stopping

  • resume

    to start again after a break or suspension

文法句型

discontinue + noun phrase (product / service / treatment / subscription)

be discontinued (passive form very common)

用法筆記

Frequently used in the passive (e.g. 'the service was discontinued'). The object is usually a regular activity, a product line, a subscription, or a medical treatment — things that were ongoing and then deliberately stopped.

常見錯誤

❌I discontinued smoking last year.
✅I stopped smoking last year.
💡'discontinue' is formal and sounds unnatural for personal habits; use 'stop' or 'give up' instead.

2. when an activity, service, or situation discontinues, it comes to an end — usual

2.動詞不及物B2
釋義

when an activity, service, or situation discontinues, it comes to an end — usually gradually or because of external circumstances, rather than by someone's deliberate decision.

例句

The weekly running club discontinued after the coach moved away.

subject + discontinued (intransitive)

Bus service to the small village discontinued when the new road opened.

同義詞
  • cease

    closest synonym, also formal and intransitive; 'the service ceased'

  • end

    more general and neutral in register

  • stop

    simpler and more common in everyday speech

反義詞
  • continue

    to keep going without stopping

  • carry on

    informal phrasal verb meaning to keep doing something

文法句型

[activity / service / event] + discontinue(s/d)

often used with a time reference or reason

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: here the subject is the thing that ends, not the person who stops it. This sense is intransitive (no object). Common in formal contexts about services, publications, or memberships that cease operating.

常見錯誤

❌The train service discontinued by the government.
✅The government discontinued the train service.' OR 'The train service discontinued after the bridge collapsed.
💡the first is transitive (sense 1) with a passive subject; the second is intransitive (sense 2). Use the correct pattern.