desist

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 \-ˈsis-tən(t)s, -ˈzis-\ noun

See desist defined for English-language learners

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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

The Reds have been chasing Van Dijk all summer and were infamously told to desist by Southampton in their pursuit of the Netherlands international, who impressed last season before picking up an ankle injury in January.

— SI.com, "Report Claims Liverpool Set to Sign Van Dijk in Sensational £75m Deal for Southampton Defender," 29 Aug. 2017
Aware of rumors that the opposition spoke of torching Pittsburgh, Washington gave the rebellion one last chance to peacefully desist.

— carrie hagen, Smithsonian, "The First Presidential Pardon Pitted Alexander Hamilton Against George Washington," 29 Aug. 2017
Killer Burger sent a cease-and-desist letter to Rock and Roll on July 6, seeking to stop it from trying to profit off of Killer Burger's name, Ped said.

— maxine bernstein, OregonLive.com, "Burger battle heats up in court between competing Portland businesses," 11 Aug. 2017
If the office finds the allegation merits a violation, the office would send a cease-and-desist letter to the mental health professional.

— lara korte, Cincinnati.com, "Want to complain about LGBT conversion therapy in Cincinnati? It isn't easy," 31 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 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

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

DESIST Defined for English Language Learners

desist

verb

Definition of desist for English Language Learners

: to stop doing something

DESIST Defined for Kids

desist

verb de·sist \ di-ˈzist , -ˈsist \

Definition of desist for Students

desisted; desisting

:to stop doing something

Please desist from making that noise.

Learn More about desist

See words that rhyme with desist Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for desist Spanish Central: Translation of desist Britannica English: Translation of desist for Arabic speakers

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desist

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desistance

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