Definition of CEASE

Choose the Right Synonym for cease

Verb

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

As the Times editorial suggests, the left seems to believe the Supreme Court will virtually cease to exist as a branch of government. — Daniel Henninger, WSJ, "Trump Blows Away a Penumbra," 4 July 2018 At the age of 31, the person known as Henrietta Lacks ceased to exist. — Ryan P. Smith, Smithsonian, "Famed for “Immortal” Cells, Henrietta Lacks is Immortalized in Portraiture," 15 May 2018 When 2015 rolled around, the Glover family, who owned Yamashiro, were in the midst of selling the property, and that’s when the night market ceased to exist, according to City Farm founder Nick Spano. — Jean Trinh, Los Angeles Magazine, "What to Eat, Drink, and See at Yamashiro Night Market," 30 Apr. 2018 Though the White Hotel ceased to exist, Lulu White's troubles did not. — James Karst, NOLA.com, "Scandal and corruption in the ashes of Storyville," 29 Apr. 2018 In 2014, San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera ordered startup MonkeyParking to cease and desist from selling street parking spaces via a mobile phone app. — Michael Cabanatuan, SFChronicle.com, "DMV investigates startup that has disrupted appointment process," 11 July 2018 Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said about half of the Pentagon's civilian employees would be sent home without pay, maintenance would cease and some intelligence operations overseas would stop. — Anchorage Daily News, "Massive confusion spreads through federal bureaucracy ahead of shutdown deadline," 20 Jan. 2018 Hearings were held for almost two years, and in May 1941, the FTC issued an order directing Good Housekeeping to cease and desist from the use of seals declaring that its advertised products had been tested and approved. — Good Housekeeping, "The History of the Good Housekeeping Seal," 1 Oct. 2011 Related Coverage North Korea also appears to be preparing for its annual summer military exercises and hasn’t ceased sending orders to its spies in South Korea through coded messages, said Mr. Kim, the lawmaker. — Andrew Jeong, WSJ, "North Korea Submarine Development Signals Increased Nuclear Threat," 6 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Bird began removing its scooters from Indianapolis streets Wednesday, almost a week after Lime, left the city and weeks after the city sent a cease-and-desist letter. — Faith E. Pinho, Indianapolis Star, "Indianapolis scooters: What the proposed regulations could mean," 13 July 2018 Facebook issued a cease-and-desist letter to Grouply.io developers, who discontinued the Chrome plugin earlier this year. — Brittany Shoot, Fortune, "Facebook Closes Loophole That Revealed Personal Data of People in 'Closed' Groups," 12 July 2018 The city issued a cease-and-desist letter to the three companies and impounded improperly parked scooters. — Evan Sernoffsky, San Francisco Chronicle, "Bye-bye, SF scooters as Bird, Lime and Spin go on hiatus," 4 June 2018 Lime launched its scooter-share program last week without a permit, prompting the city to issue a cease-and-desist letter to the start-up. — Steve Harrison, charlotteobserver, "Lime, plus two other companies, are bringing scooters back. Here is when. | Charlotte Observer," 17 May 2018 But two years ago an anonymous complaint prompted the Nashville Metro government to send Shaw a cease-and-desist notice for bringing clients into his fully soundproofed shop. — Colin Stutz, Billboard, "Nashville Producer Fights for Backyard Studio as Home-Studio Owners Nationwide Hope Neighbors Don't Squeal," 16 Apr. 2018 But Smart, who was kidnapped from her Utah home as a teenager in 2002, has sent a cease-and-desist letter to demand that her name be removed from it. — NBC News, "Elizabeth Smart fights to remove her name from anti-porn bill," 26 Mar. 2018 In late April, assistant transportation commissioner Sean Wiedel shared a Guardian article with colleagues about San Francisco scooter mayhem, including crashes, tripping injuries, and a cease-and-desist order from the city. — John Greenfield, Chicago Reader, "Cycling / News / Transportation Electric scooters could be next to clog Chicago’s sidewalks and bike lanes," 25 June 2018 Quinnipiac issued a cease-and-desist order to the Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter regarding hazing allegations in September 2015, according to previous reports. — Ben Lambert, Houston Chronicle, "University suspends Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity chapter after investigating ‘actions’," 15 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cease.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.