discontinue

play

verb dis·con·tin·ue \ˌdis-kən-ˈtin-(ˌ)yü\

Definition of discontinue

transitive verb
1 : to break the continuity of : cease to operate, administer, use, produce, or take
2 : to abandon or terminate by a legal discontinuance
intransitive verb
: to come to an end

discontinuation

play \-kən-ˌtin-yə-ˈwā-shən, -yü-ˈā-\ noun

See discontinue defined for English-language learners

See discontinue defined for kids

Examples of discontinue in a Sentence

He discontinued his visits to the psychiatrist.
She chose to discontinue her studies.
The company has announced that the current model will be discontinued next year.
They are planning to discontinue bus service between the two towns.

Recent Examples of discontinue from the Web

Weekend service on Route 28 would be discontinued from Columbia Tusculum, Linwood and East End.

— randy tucker, Cincinnati.com, "Have your say on these proposed cuts to bus routes," 18 July 2017
One key recommendation is to discontinue the practice of deploying two-officer patrol cars, except in special assignments and circumstances.

— lynn horsley, kansascity, "Report recommends KC Police Department trim management, put more officers on patrol," 14 July 2017
The Wall Street Journal reported that doctors at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London, who are caring for Charlie Gard received permission from a court to discontinue life support.

— Fox News, "Parents of brain-damaged baby lose fight to keep him on life support," 1 July 2017
Doctors caring for the child, 11-month-old Charlie Gard, have won judges’ permission to discontinue life support despite his parents’ objections, saying his rare genetic disorder can’t be effectively treated...

— joanna sugden, WSJ, "Parents of Brain-Damaged Baby Lose Fight to Keep Him on Life Support," 30 June 2017
Mashable reports that after one year of tweeting continually at KFC Singapore, a man named Farhan convinced the chain to bring back their Hot Devil Drumlets, which had been discontinued across the country in 2014.

— tess koman, Cosmopolitan, "This National Hero Tweeted at KFC for a Year Until They Brought Back His Favorite Discontinued Drumsticks," 30 June 2017
Many pieces are heavily discounted sample work, slightly blemished or discontinued.

— The Courier-Journal, "50+ fun things for week of June 29-July 5," 28 June 2017
That practice was discontinued in 2015, for reasons that remain unclear.

— steven stolman, Town & Country, "How to Get into the Royal Enclosure at Ascot," 23 June 2017
In addition, the legislation in 2019 would discontinue a second ACA subsidy — the cost-sharing reductions offered to anyone earning less than 250 percent of the poverty level.

— phil galewitz, Kaiser Health News, "‘Coverage Gap’ For Poor May End, But Many Will Still Have Trouble Affording Plans," 23 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'discontinue.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of discontinue

Middle English, from Anglo-French discontinuer, from Medieval Latin discontinuare, from Latin dis- + continuare to continue

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of discontinue

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