cease

1 of 2

verb

ˈsēs 

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 cease

—R. L. Stevenson

Synonyms

Verb

• stop
• expire
• end
• halt
• conclude
• terminate

Noun

• cessation
• halt
• ending
• end
• stop

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

Seven of the health facilities that Save the Children had supported in the region have fully closed, and 20 more have partly ceased operations. —Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 24 June 2025

In 2021, Iran revealed its plan for taking enrichment from 20% to 60%, and soon afterward ceased to provide any further details on its fuel-making program. —Scott Montgomery, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025

Noun

But throughout the day Monday as those fears of a wider conflict retreated and hopes for a cease fire increased, the price of oil started falling sharply. —Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 24 June 2025

Into the deep Below 650 feet, rays of sunlight cease to pierce the deep ocean, which makes up the planet’s largest ecosystem. —ArsTechnica, 19 May 2025

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

Phrases Containing cease

• cease and desist
• cease and desist order
• cease fire
• never cease to amaze
• Will wonders never cease
• wonders never cease

Rhymes for cease

• crease
• fleece
• gees
• geese
• grease
• grece
• lease
• leese
• niece
• piece
• prese
• seis

Kids Definition

cease

verb

ˈsēs

ceased; ceasing

: to come or bring to an end : stop