cease 1 of 2

cease

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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
As databases grow, and there is no indication that growth will cease, there will come a time when there will be no one who cannot be associated to a set of relatives through DNA. Mitch Mitchell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 June 2025 Work in the kitchens of Madame de Staël ceases abruptly when noted food critic and the founder of Almanach des Gourmands, Alexandre Grimod de la Reyniére, pops in uninvited to help himself to samples of Antonin’s in-progress dishes. Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 11 June 2025
Noun
For Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukraine, this cold front could prove to be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back in how any cease fire negotiations with Russia might ultimately play out. Daniel Markind, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025 At his press conference on Thursday, Biden countered his debate showing to some extent by delivering substantive answers to complex foreign policy situations, including the war in Ukraine and the potential cease fire in Gaza. Ted Johnson, Deadline, 12 July 2024 See All Example Sentences for cease
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cease
Verb
  • On September 2, Border Force officers had stopped two women at London Stansted Airport.
    Stuart James, New York Times, 6 June 2025
  • Nintendo’s onetime chief rival, Sega Corp., stopped making and selling consoles in 2001 after a series of failures.
    Wendy Lee, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2025
Verb
  • In fact, a 2019 Aflac survey of over 1,600 American adults found that 53% reported halting use of company products because of disliking a company’s stance on an issue.
    Lauren Howe, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
  • However, a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., temporarily halted the federal trade court's decision, for now reinstating the levies imposed by the president under an emergency powers law.
    Joe Enoch, CBS News, 9 June 2025
Noun
  • Transportation electrification would contribute mightily to the abeyance and cessation of these current and future disasters, saving untold property and lives.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2025
  • Hamas has demanded a deal that would provide stronger guarantees toward a lasting cessation of hostilities, a position the U.S. and Israel have dismissed.
    Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025
Verb
  • But in the last several years, especially with the makeup of the General Assembly becoming more progressive, lawmakers let the penalty enhancement provisions expire, made the diversion program permanent and removed its age restriction.
    Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2025
  • Any unused bets will expire after that period of time.
    Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 June 2025
Verb
  • The growing conflict between Israel and Iran is testing Trump who ran on a promise to quickly end the brutal wars in Gaza and Ukraine and build a foreign policy that more broadly favors steering clear of foreign conflicts.
    Aamer Madhani, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2025
  • Then, the knives failed him — another hot streak ended by a frigid stretch.
    Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 15 June 2025
Noun
  • Even a half-century later, the undead ghouls that descend upon survivors in a Pennsylvania farm house are timeless and the gut-punch ending couldn't be more timely.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 14 June 2025
  • The Supreme Court ruling did not offer guidance for the Trump administration on how to carry out the ending of the program.
    Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 13 June 2025
Verb
  • Bowling Green concludes the regular season November 25 at UMass, the team’s only trip outside the region, though like the other 11 games is in the Eastern Time Zone.
    Tom Layberger, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
  • That opinion echoed what previous official inquiries had concluded.
    Sarah Bedford, The Washington Examiner, 8 June 2025
Verb
  • Privately, the show’s lead actress, Emily Meade, threatened to quit.
    Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 9 June 2025
  • After being a successful child actor in the 1950s, Talbot quit acting at the age of 14.
    Meredith Wilshere, People.com, 7 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Cease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cease. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.

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