Definition of desist
: to cease to proceed or act
- a court order to desist from selling the product
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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
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The city issued a cease-and-desist letter to the three companies and impounded improperly parked scooters.
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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.
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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.
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Mr Modi has asked them to desist and focus on his preferred themes: fighting corruption and boosting the economy.
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The Supreme Council of Sigma Alpha Epsilon — the governing board for the fraternity — issued the cease-and-desist soon after.
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Taking part in an international crackdown on fraudulent initial coin offerings, Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh’s office issued a cease-and-desist order against a firm operating out of an apartment in Windsor Mill.
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Lime launched its scooter-share program last week without a permit, prompting the city to issue a cease-and-desist letter to the start-up.
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On Friday the school unveiled a new logo as part of a rebranding effort in the wake of a cease-and-desist order from Ohio’s Miami University.
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
NEW! Time Traveler
First Known Use: 15th century
in the meaning defined above
See Words from the same yearSynonym 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.
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- stopped at the red light
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- by nightfall the fighting had ceased
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- the engine faltered, sputtered, then quit altogether
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- we have discontinued the manufacture of that item
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- desisted from further efforts to persuade them
DESIST Defined for English Language Learners
DESIST Defined for Kids
Definition of desist for Students
desisted;
desisting
: to stop doing something
- Please desist from making that noise.
Learn More about desist
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See words that rhyme with desist Spanish Central: Translation of desist Britannica English: Translation of desist for Arabic speakers
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