surcease

1 of 2

verb

sur·​cease (ˌ)sər-ˈsēs 

ˈsər-ˌsēs

surceased; surceasing

intransitive verb

: to desist from action

also : to come to an end : cease

transitive verb

: to put an end to : discontinue

surcease

2 of 2

noun

sur·​cease ˈsər-ˌsēs 

(ˌ)sər-ˈsēs

: cessation

especially : a temporary respite or end

to borrow from my books surcease of sorrow

—E. A. Poe

Synonyms

Noun

• arrest
• arrestment
• cease
• cessation
• check
• close
• closedown
• closure
• conclusion
• cutoff
• discontinuance
• discontinuation
• end
• ending
• expiration
• finish
• halt
• lapse
• offset
• shutdown
• shutoff
• stay
• stop
• stoppage
• termination

Examples of surcease in a Sentence

Noun

hoping the new medicine would bring surcease to his pain

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Terrible transgressions lead to worse ones, with no prospect of surcease, let alone moral regeneration. —WSJ, 14 Feb. 2019

Anyone seeking temporary surcease from the rigors of the present moment will find it in abundance here. —Terry Teachout, WSJ, 20 July 2017

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English sursesen, surcesen, from Anglo-French surceser, alteration of surseer, surseoir, from Latin supersedēre — more at supersede

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1586, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

surcease

noun

sur·​cease

ˈsər-ˌsēs,

(ˌ)sər-ˈsēs

: a stopping of action

especially : a temporary halt