Definition of DESIST

Choose the Right Synonym for desist

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 desist in a Sentence

Despite orders from the police, the protesters would not desist.

Recent Examples on the Web

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 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 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 These practices by the charity have sparked investigations and regulatory questions in at least four states and a cease-and-desist order from California’s attorney general, which Food for the Poor has appealed. — Brian Macquarrie, BostonGlobe.com, "Leading hunger relief charity challenged on its claim of low costs," 2 June 2018 In April, Avenatti, acting in his capacity as Clifford’s current lawyer, sent a cease-and-desist letter to her former lawyer, Keith Davidson, ordering him not to disclose any communications related to her, one of those people said. — Fox News, "Stormy Daniels' lawyer Michael Avenatti complicates Cohen probe," 29 May 2018 Mr Modi has asked them to desist and focus on his preferred themes: fighting corruption and boosting the economy. — The Economist, "Elections in Karnataka will be closely watched in Delhi," 3 May 2018

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