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\ ˈsēs 
\
\ceased; ceasing
Definition of cease
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to cause to come to an end especially gradually : no longer continue
they were forced to cease operations cease to exist
1a : 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
cease
nounDefinition of cease (Entry 2 of 2)
: cessation —usually used with withoutI kept an eye upon her without cease— R. L. Stevenson
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Synonyms & Antonyms for cease
Synonyms: Verb
- break off,
- break up,
- close,
- conclude,
- dead-end,
- determine,
- die,
- discontinue,
- elapse,
- end,
- expire,
- finish,
- go,
- halt,
- lapse,
- leave off,
- let up,
- pass,
- quit,
- stop,
- terminate,
- wind up,
- wink (out)
Synonyms: Noun
- arrest,
- arrestment,
- cessation,
- check,
- close,
- closedown,
- closure,
- conclusion,
- cutoff,
- discontinuance,
- discontinuation,
- end,
- ending,
- expiration,
- finish,
- halt,
- lapse,
- offset,
- shutdown,
- shutoff,
- stay,
- stop,
- stoppage,
- surcease,
- termination
Antonyms: Verb
Antonyms: Noun
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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
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Davis entered into contracts with several residents in April 2017 and once the contracts were paid in advance, the facilities' operations were ceased, the Attorney General said in a press release.
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Christopher Roth, azcentral, "Owner of Arizona assisted living facilities indicted on fraud charges," 20 Nov. 2019 The European Investment Bank will cease lending for fossil fuel projects in two years, officials announced late yesterday.
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Nathanial Gronewold, Scientific American, "European Investment Bank Will Stop Lending to Fossil Fuel Projects," 18 Nov. 2019 Still, Kavanaugh was not deterred, and the whistling abruptly ceased minutes into his speech.
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Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "Kavanaugh jokes and gets choked up in his first speech as a SCOTUS justice," 15 Nov. 2019 Later, the Texas Securities Board ordered the company to cease and desist.
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Aaliyah Gibson, chicagotribune.com, "Scams and shams: The biggest frauds in business," 1 Nov. 2019 Maybe that's why 52% of participants in the Bid-on-equipment survey supported ceasing the rotation through the week for Halloween and moving it to the last Saturday in October.
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Caleb Wiegandt, The Courier-Journal, "This candy is named Kentucky's favorite Halloween treat 2 years running," 28 Oct. 2019 The contributions won’t apply to employees making less than $30,000 a year, and the redirection would cease if the pension system’s funded status reaches at least 90 percent.
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oregonlive, "Unions abandon Oregon Democrats over pension reforms," 2 Oct. 2019 Judge Amita Tracy ordered the company to cease and desist a litany of actions against company employees, including a rule that blocks off-duty employees from handing out union literature and interrogating employees about union activities.
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Tara Law, Time, "Tesla and Elon Musk's Tweet Violated Labor Laws Protecting Unions, Judge Rules," 29 Sep. 2019 Nessel sent a Notice of Intended Action to the company, giving it an opportunity to immediately cease and desist from engaging in unlawful business practices.
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Baltimore Sun Staff, baltimoresun.com, "Federal and Maryland officials warn against use of at-home ‘MeToo’ rape kits targeting local college students," 6 Sep. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The province was the scene of major clashes in the spring and summer, with the United Nations estimating that 500 were killed, before cease-fires were brokered under Russian auspices in August.
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Sarah Dadouch, Washington Post, "Airstrikes kill at least 10 in Syria’s northwest rebel bastion," 2 Dec. 2019 But while the Afghan government has long demanded that the Taliban agree to a cease-fire, no evidence has emerged that the group was willing to grant one.
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Arkansas Online, "Trump visit surprises troops in Afghanistan," 29 Nov. 2019 Until a shaky July 21 cease-fire took hold, the sound of artillery fire was often audible in downtown Mariupol, and the ongoing war is seldom far from the subject of any conversation.
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Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, "Isolated by Ukraine’s war, Mariupol looks for a peaceful future," 13 Aug. 2019 The Israeli military tweeted shortly after the announcement of a cease-fire.
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Fox News, "Two more rockets fired from Gaza into Israel hours after 'cease-fire' declaration," 16 Nov. 2019 The unofficial cease-fire that began early Thursday ended a two-day escalation triggered by Israel’s targeted killing of an Islamic Jihad commander.
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BostonGlobe.com, "GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israel said early Friday it has completed a series of airstrikes on targets linked to the Islamic Jihad militant group in Gaza after overnight rocket fire that rattled a day-old truce.," 16 Nov. 2019 But tear gas was again fired soon after, breaking the momentary cease fire.
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Mary Hui, Quartz, "Photos: Hong Kong police and students are fighting a war in one of the city’s top universities," 12 Nov. 2019 Turkey has agreed to a cease-fire brokered by Russia, in which Kurdish fighters would withdraw 19 miles from the border.
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SFChronicle.com, "News of the Day From Around the World, Nov. 4," 4 Nov. 2019 The short-term effects of the United States military’s withdrawal from northern Syria have played out on TVs and in newspapers as reports come in of mounting casualties despite a cease-fire.
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Dan Sweeney, sun-sentinel.com, "These South Florida doctors just returned from Kurdistan. Here’s what they saw.," 24 Oct. 2019
See MoreThese 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.
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More Definitions for cease
cease
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of cease
formal
: to stop happening : to end
: to stop doing (something)
See the full definition for cease in the English Language Learners Dictionary
cease
verb\ ˈsēs \
\ceased; ceasing
Kids Definition of cease
: to come or bring to an end : stop The talking ceased.
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Comments on cease
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Time Traveler for cease
The first known use of cease was in the 14th century
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