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

In 2014, San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera ordered startup MonkeyParking to cease and desist from selling street parking spaces via a mobile phone app. — Michael Cabanatuan, SFChronicle.com, "DMV investigates startup that has disrupted appointment process," 11 July 2018 The White House, in the most predictable response ever, has threatened libel charges and called on Henry Holt & Co. to cease and desist from disseminating the book. — Carlos Lozada, Philly.com, "Michael Wolff's 'Fire and Fury': Tumultuous, riveting, but trustworthy?," 14 Jan. 2018 Hearings were held for almost two years, and in May 1941, the FTC issued an order directing Good Housekeeping to cease and desist from the use of seals declaring that its advertised products had been tested and approved. — Good Housekeeping, "The History of the Good Housekeeping Seal," 1 Oct. 2011 In order to desist the former Middlesbrough coach from the temptations of a potential top-club offer and to secure his tactical and strategic skills after Russia, the FA are looking to improve Southgate's £1.8m a year contract. — SI.com, "FA Optimistic Gareth Southgate Will be England's Manager at Euro 2020 Despite Potential Club Offers," 8 July 2018 The move prompted an order from the state attorney general to desist. — Washington Post, "Major New York-area traffic bottleneck about to get worse," 23 June 2018 BitConnect blew up when the company closed its main operations, soon after Texas regulators filed an emergency cease-and-desist order. — Dave Michaels, WSJ, "Crypto Craze Drew Them In; Fraud, in Many Cases, Emptied Their Pockets," 26 Dec. 2018 The new criminal charges are on top of a complaint brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission in January 2018, around the same time that the Texas Department of Banking issued a related cease-and-desist order to AriseBank. — Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, "Feds: AriseBank duped investors out of over $4M in cryptocurrency scam," 29 Nov. 2018 On Monday, Oro Negro filed a lawsuit asking Judge Shelley Chapman, the New York bankruptcy judge overseeing the Oro Negro case, for a cease-and-desist order preventing bondholders from taking over or otherwise interfering with the rigs. — Tom Corrigan, WSJ, "Battle for Mexico’s Oro Negro Heats Up as Creditors Attempt to Seize Oil Rigs," 22 Oct. 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.