desist

play

verb de·sist \di-ˈsist, -ˈzist, dē-\

Definition of desist

intransitive verb
: to cease to proceed or act a court order to desist from selling the product

desistance

play play \-ˈsis-tən(t)s, -ˈzis-\ noun

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Examples of desist in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of desist from the Web

In Chicago, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart issued a cease-and-desist order to Visa and MasterCard, telling them to stop accepting payment for Backpage.

— tom jackman and jonathan o'connell, chicagotribune.com, "Backpage has always claimed it doesn't control sex-related ads. New documents show otherwise.," 11 July 2017
In Chicago, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart issued a cease-and-desist order to Visa and MasterCard, telling them to stop accepting payment for Backpage.

— tom jackman, Washington Post, "Backpage has always claimed it doesn’t control sex-related ads. New documents show otherwise.," 11 July 2017
Where is that line [between residential and industrial], is the cease-and-desist order valid?

— shawn r. beals, Courant Community, "Middletown Zoning Officials Uphold Order On Saybrook Road Business," 11 July 2017
The presiding officer, Representative Carrie Meek, a fellow Democrat, threatened to call the sergeant-at-arms to formally warn Ms. Waters to desist.

— yamiche alcindor, New York Times, "‘Auntie Maxine’ Waters Goes After Trump and Goes Viral," 7 July 2017
The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania said in a letter Wednesday that a cease-and-desist order against Lt.

— mark scolforo, The Seattle Times, "Naval officer battles town’s limits on nightly taps ritual," 5 July 2017
The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania said in a letter Wednesday that a cease-and-desist order against Lt.

— Washington Post, "Naval officer battles town’s limits on nightly taps ritual," 5 July 2017
Also on Thursday, Rolling Stone reported, lawyers representing the Doors sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Jenner sisters.

— jacey fortin, New York Times, "Kylie and Kendall Jenner, Accused of Exploitation, Apologize for T-Shirts," 30 June 2017
Fort Lauderdale police seized about $100,000 of fireworks after a man refused to comply with a cease-and-desist order.

— ethan bauer, miamiherald, "Fort Lauderdale police seize massive haul of fireworks," 30 June 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of desist

Middle English, from Anglo-French desister, from Latin desistere, from de- + sistere to stand, stop; akin to Latin stare to stand — more at stand

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First Known Use: 15th century

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Synonym Discussion of 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