desist

de·sist

intransitive verb \di-ˈsist, -ˈzist, dē-\

Definition of DESIST

: to cease to proceed or act

— de·sis·tance \-ˈsis-tən(t)s, -ˈzis-\ noun

Examples of DESIST

1. Despite orders from the police, the protesters would not desist.

Origin of DESIST

Middle English, from Anglo-French desister, from Latin desistere, from de- + sistere to stand, stop; akin to Latin stare to stand — more at stand

First Known Use: 15th century

Rhymes with DESIST

A-list, assist, backlist, blacklist, B-list, checklist, consist, dean's list, delist, encyst, enlist, entwist, exist, handlist, hit list, insist, life list, mailed fist, persist, playlist, protist, Rehnquist, resist, short list, short-list, subsist, untwist, wait-list, white list, wish list