cease

1 of 2

verb

ceased; ceasing

transitive verb

: to cause to come to an end especially gradually : no longer continue
they were forced to cease operations
cease to exist

intransitive verb

1
a
: to come to an end
the fighting gradually ceased
b
: to bring an activity or action to an end : discontinue
they have been ordered to cease and desist
2
obsolete : to become extinct : die out

cease

2 of 2

noun

: cessation
usually used with without
I kept an eye upon her without ceaseR. L. Stevenson
Choose the Right Synonym for cease

stop, cease, quit, discontinue, desist mean to suspend or cause to suspend activity.

stop applies to action or progress or to what is operating or progressing and may imply suddenness or definiteness.

stopped at the red light

cease applies to states, conditions, or existence and may add a suggestion of gradualness and a degree of finality.

by nightfall the fighting had ceased

quit may stress either finality or abruptness in stopping or ceasing.

the engine faltered, sputtered, then quit altogether

discontinue applies to the stopping of an accustomed activity or practice.

we have discontinued the manufacture of that item

desist implies forbearance or restraint as a motive for stopping or ceasing.

desisted from further efforts to persuade them

Examples of cease in a Sentence

Verb The fighting along the border has temporarily ceased. The factory ceased operations last year. The child would not cease his constant whining. Noun worked without cease for the betterment of humanity
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
All pain will cease—fortunately enough, because in our lives, of course, there has been much pain. James Wood, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 Last year, one of Cambodia's few remaining independent media outlets, Voice of Democracy radio, ceased operations after Hun Sen ordered its closure, accusing it of slandering his son in a story. Sopheng Cheang The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 3 Mar. 2024 Signature Bank, another past lender to Trump, also ceased doing business with him after the attack on the US Capitol. Kara Scannell, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024 Some upset ratepayers are pulling out of autopay and paperless billing — essentially ceasing use of the new system. Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 29 Feb. 2024 Anything But Love ran for four seasons, ceasing production in 1992. Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2024 Felecia Hatcher: One of the most remarkable things that never ceases to surprise me is the absolute superpower that Black and Brown entrepreneurs possess: the ability to do more with less, creating something extraordinary from what seems like nothing. Stephanie Tharpe, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 The networks will cease to exist as a media company this summer when its distribution agreements expire. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 19 Feb. 2024 Human fascination with the surrounding universe and the quest to understand our place in it has never ceased. Danuta Hamlin, Fox News, 18 Feb. 2024
Noun
Passenger trains haven’t run in the Treasure Valley in more than 25 years, and, for now, that cease in operations will continue. Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 6 Feb. 2024 When will supposed safety for some cease to mean annihilation for others? Sara Holdren, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2024 The cease fire partially slows down disparaging comments to the administration. Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 29 Nov. 2023 More than 300 people were arrested at a demonstration calling for a cease fire inside the Cannon House Office Building in October. Sara Dorn, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023 Last Updated: Live Coverage Feed 3 hours ago U.S. Blames Hamas for End of Cease Fire in Gaza By WSJ staff Secretary of State Antony Blinken blamed Hamas for the collapse of a temporary cease fire with Israel on Friday. WSJ, 1 Dec. 2023 This isn't even an armistice, merely a cease fire at the advantage to Hamas. Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 29 Nov. 2023 The parties involved in the cease fire probably don't know the parade exists and were likely not watching. Timothy Bella, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2023 On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, a cease fire (or armistice) went into effect between the Allied nations and Germany, signaling the unofficial end of World War I. Are banks open on Veterans Day? Bychris Morris, Fortune, 10 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cease.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English cesen, from Anglo-French cesser, from Latin cessare to hold back, be remiss, frequentative of cedere

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cease was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near cease

Cite this Entry

“Cease.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cease. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cease

verb
ˈsēs
ceased; ceasing
: to come or bring to an end : stop

More from Merriam-Webster on cease

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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