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Synonym Chooser

How is the word discontinue distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of discontinue are cease, desist, quit, and stop. While all these words mean "to suspend or cause to suspend activity," discontinue applies to the stopping of an accustomed activity or practice.

we have discontinued the manufacture of that item

When might cease be a better fit than discontinue?

In some situations, the words cease and discontinue are roughly equivalent. However, 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

When can desist be used instead of discontinue?

While the synonyms desist and discontinue are close in meaning, desist implies forbearance or restraint as a motive for stopping or ceasing.

desisted from further efforts to persuade them

When is it sensible to use quit instead of discontinue?

The meanings of quit and discontinue largely overlap; however, quit may stress either finality or abruptness in stopping or ceasing.

the engine faltered, sputtered, then quit altogether

When could stop be used to replace discontinue?

The words stop and discontinue can be used in similar contexts, but stop applies to action or progress or to what is operating or progressing and may imply suddenness or definiteness.

stopped at the red light

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of discontinue Some are discontinuing various product lines, and others are cutting workers or closing altogether. Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 27 Sep. 2025 The flavor was a hit when it was first introduced in 2004, and it was discontinued in 2018 to make way for Diet Coke Ginger Lime. Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 26 Sep. 2025 His pairings came from those pods and his team won comfortably, but subsequent American captains discontinued the practice. Don Riddell, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2025 This should not be a reason to discontinue taking your blood pressure medication. Jennifer Moll, Verywell Health, 24 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for discontinue
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discontinue
Verb
  • Trouble in Mind Records, the Chicago label that specialized in punk and garage-rock for more than a decade, has ceased operations.
    Matthew Strauss, Pitchfork, 26 Sep. 2025
  • All her fraudulent welfare handouts ceased in January 2025.
    Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Travis Decker, the man believed to have suffocated and abandoned his three young daughters at a campsite in the Washington state wilderness, is dead, Chelan County authorities said Thursday.
    Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2025
  • The Gulf states are hedging against Israeli overreach—not abandoning America.
    Firas Maksad, Time, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The traffic itself generally keeps moving rather than fully stopping.
    Eric D. Lawrence, USA Today, 28 Sep. 2025
  • Fighting on the island had stopped, so the soldiers in the picture were not under fire, and the action of raising the flag (there is a movie of it) took all of a few seconds.
    Louis Menand, New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • All talks of building or buying a new facility were halted, however, in December when the mayor announced emergency budget cuts to address a substantial deficit.
    Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025
  • The federal Office of Management and Budget did not respond to The Bee’s request for clarification on which operations would be halted.
    David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Among the most startling revelations was his experience filming 1977's The Sentinel, a horror movie directed by the late Michael Winner, which Sarandon says nearly drove him to quit acting altogether.
    Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
  • The ex-staffer, who quit in August, said he was punched, elbowed or kicked by youth over 10 times and reported three or four assaults to police.
    Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The arteries end at the capillaries.
    Bryant Stamford, Louisville Courier Journal, 2 Oct. 2025
  • The Arkansas Educational Freedom Accounts could cost the state more than $326 million during the fiscal year that ends June 30, according to information provided by the state Department of Education.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Little Rock Board of Directors must confirm Buchanan's reappointment to the panel, which would be for a five-year term that expires in September 2030.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2025
  • The arbitration is to decide on the police union's contract from 2023 through 2025 — which expires in just over three months.
    Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Not much has gone to plan for the Twins this season, but Ryan’s season — which officially concluded on Friday night — was one of the things that has.
    Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 27 Sep. 2025
  • Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory jointly designed and produced the system’s five subsystems, said calibration and early on-orbit testing concluded successfully in June.
    Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Discontinue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discontinue. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.

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