desist

verb

de·​sist di-ˈsist  -ˈzist 

dē-

desisted; desisting; desists

intransitive verb

: to cease to proceed or act

a court order to desist from selling the product

They were notified to cease and desist.

desistance

di-ˈsi-stən(t)s  -ˈzi- 

dē-

noun

Synonyms of desist

• stop
• cease
• end
• halt
• quit
• lay off
• cut off

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

Mamdani won the mayoral election in November, just days after the Knicks filed a cease-and-desist against him for using the Knicks logo in a campaign advertisement. —Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 17 Dec. 2025

Amazon has gone a step further by sending a cease-and-desist letter to Perplexity AI to try to prevent users of its AI browser, Comet, from purchasing its items. —Gabrielle Fonrouge,melissa Repko, CNBC, 12 Dec. 2025

This includes coordination of de-mining operations, removal of heavy weapons and equipment from the border, implementation of measures to restore mutual trust, and desisting from harmful rhetoric and the dissemination of false information, The Associated Press reported. —Laura Kelly, The Hill, 12 Dec. 2025

On the same day the OpenAI deal was announced, Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter to Google regarding alleged misuse of IP. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 11 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English desisten, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French desister, desistier, borrowed from Latin dēsistere "to leave off, cease," from dē- de- + sistere "to cause to stand, assume a standing position, place, check, halt" — more at assist entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing desist

• cease and desist
• cease and desist order

Rhymes for desist

• assist
• blacklist
• booklist
• checklist
• consist
• dismissed
• enlist
• exist
• insist
• oocyst
• persist
• resist

Kids Definition

desist

verb

de·​sist di-ˈsist  -ˈzist 

: to stop something one is doing