cease 1 of 2

cease

2 of 2

noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word cease distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of cease are desist, discontinue, quit, and stop. While all these words mean "to suspend or cause to suspend activity," 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

When can desist be used instead of cease?

The words desist and cease can be used in similar contexts, but desist implies forbearance or restraint as a motive for stopping or ceasing.

desisted from further efforts to persuade them

In what contexts can discontinue take the place of cease?

The synonyms discontinue and cease are sometimes interchangeable, but discontinue applies to the stopping of an accustomed activity or practice.

we have discontinued the manufacture of that item

When is it sensible to use quit instead of cease?

While in some cases nearly identical to cease, quit may stress either finality or abruptness in stopping or ceasing.

the engine faltered, sputtered, then quit altogether

When would stop be a good substitute for cease?

In some situations, the words stop and cease are roughly equivalent. However, stop applies to action or progress or to what is operating or progressing and may imply suddenness or definiteness.

stopped at the red light

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cease
Verb
The lawsuit asks for a trial to determine whether compensatory and punitive damages are appropriate and for orders requiring the defendant to cease advertisement of Sazerac products and delete the social media accounts, among other forms of relief. Killian Baarlaer, Louisville Courier Journal, 25 July 2025 On this day in 1914: Austria-Hungary issued a series of ultimatums to Serbia that included allowing Austria-Hungary to investigate who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, and demanded that Serbia cease all anti-Austrian propaganda and dissolve its nationalist organizations. Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 24 July 2025
Noun
The last time Netanyahu visited the White House was in February, as the U.S. worked to finalize the second phase of a cease fire deal in Gaza. Dan Mangan,kevin Breuninger,christina Wilkie,michael Wayland,april Roach,erin Doherty, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2025 The Buildings Department gave the elevator company a summons for failing to safeguard the dumbwaiter and issued a cease use order, preventing the club from using it until it was fully repaired and reinspected, an agency spokesman said. Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cease
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cease
Verb
  • Shortly after Braun’s executive order, the Indiana Department of Health told local health departments to stop accepting requests to change genders on birth certificates.
    Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 24 July 2025
  • Organizations need to stop managing change and start creating it.
    Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
Verb
  • However, the chance to get together in person with club members was halted that March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
    Scott Talley, Freep.com, 28 July 2025
  • First, income convergence between Black and white Americans largely halted.
    Idrees Kahloon, New Yorker, 28 July 2025
Noun
  • The cessation of fighting between 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. is to allow humanitarian aid to reach the three areas.
    Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 July 2025
  • Notwithstanding some confusion over the precise timing of the cease-fire that has put a halt to the twelve-day war in the Middle East over Iran’s nuclear program, the cessation of hostilities seems to be holding.
    The Editors, National Review, 24 June 2025
Verb
  • The settlement expired in May, but NIJC has argued in court filings and hearings that it should be extended.
    Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 2 Aug. 2025
  • The settlement remained until June 24, 1968, when the Department of the Interior forced residents out because their permit to use park land had expired.
    Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 2 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Their figures blew away the totals of each of the other five National League teams that would make the playoffs if the season ended today.
    Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Aug. 2025
  • Originally, the it was supposed to end 24 hours ago, when northerly winds were predicted to move the smoke back up north.
    Jack Albright, jsonline.com, 2 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • This is a month of potent endings but also powerful beginnings.
    Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Aug. 2025
  • The almost Nathan Fielder-esque twist ending is vulnerable and touching and delightfully unexpected.
    Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 1 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Metallica is slated to kick off their 2026 M72 World Tour in the late spring, which will conclude in the early summer on July 5th, 2026.
    Quentin Thane Singer, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
  • At a two-day meeting that concludes Wednesday, the Fed is widely expected to hold its key interest rate steady despite President Donald Trump’s monthslong campaign aimed at browbeating Fed Chair Jerome Powell and his colleagues into cutting rates.
    Paul Davidson, USA Today, 28 July 2025
Verb
  • Money has also been spent on nongovernmental organization programs that hand out clean needles and crack pipes as part of progressive harm reduction policies instead of encouraging homeless drug users to quit.
    Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 14 July 2025
  • Although the overall unemployment rate is just 4.1%, few people are quitting jobs today, and employers are skittish about hiring.
    Scott Horsley, NPR, 13 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Cease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cease. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.

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