cease and desist

phrase

formal
: to stop (doing something) immediately
The company was ordered by the court to cease and desist from selling the photographs.

Examples of cease and desist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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On Thursday, the Instagram account for a lecture series in Newport Beach, CA posted a photo of what appeared to be a cease and desist letter from the surveillance technology company Flock Safety. Jay Peters, The Verge, 11 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Cease and desist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cease%20and%20desist. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

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