desist

verb

Definition of desistnext
as in to cease

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word desist distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of desist are cease, discontinue, quit, and stop. While all these words mean "to suspend or cause to suspend activity," desist implies forbearance or restraint as a motive for stopping or ceasing.

desisted from further efforts to persuade them

When would cease be a good substitute for desist?

Although the words cease and desist have much in common, 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 is it sensible to use discontinue instead of desist?

The meanings of discontinue and desist largely overlap; however, discontinue applies to the stopping of an accustomed activity or practice.

we have discontinued the manufacture of that item

When might quit be a better fit than desist?

While the synonyms quit and desist are close in meaning, quit may stress either finality or abruptness in stopping or ceasing.

the engine faltered, sputtered, then quit altogether

When could stop be used to replace desist?

In some situations, the words stop and desist 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 desist In other developments, state police officers Sunday night served cease-and-desist orders on strikers at their homes, Miller said. —Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, 25 Feb. 2025 The result of a cease-and-desist from Tig Notaro 28. —Vulture Staff, Vulture, 18 Feb. 2025 The official said on Friday that WhatsApp had sent Paragon a cease-and-desist letter following the hack. —Raphael Satter and James Pearson, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2025 Sitharm slapped the university with a cease-and-desist order from the union, claiming the implementation of new policies violated the union’s collective bargaining agreement and faculty’s constitutional protections. —Sarah Blaskey, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for desist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desist
  1. cease
  2. discontinue
  3. stop
  4. halt
  5. finish
  6. terminate
  7. conclude
Verb
  • That shouldn’t be a surprise because the Packers would rather cease to exist as a franchise than draft an offensive lineman who can’t play at least three.
    — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
  • Without these little guys and their fellow pollinators, our gardens would be devoid of fruit, our flowers would not spread, and many species that rely on them would cease to exist.
    — Katie Akin, Southern Living, 26 Apr. 2025
Definition of cease
Verb
  • For the remaining 15% of beneficiaries, State and USAID are working to rebalance awards, discontinuing non-priority activities to focus on core life-saving services.
    — Ted Koppel, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2025
  • Listen to this article Valparaiso will not continue to explore expanding Central Park Plaza downtown after Mayor Jon Costas said the owners of the properties adjacent to the park who would have to sell have decided to discontinue their talks with the city.
    — Amy Lavalley, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2025
Definition of discontinue
Verb
  • The confrontation stopped and restarted as the man appeared to try to get the knife away from Perez over the fence.
    — Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
  • When the American money stopped flowing, the local soup kitchen closed and Ms. Musa went out searching for food.
    — Declan Walsh, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2025
Definition of stop
Verb
  • Some see Maine as a precursor to what California can expect: a Trump administration attempt to halt federal education funding.
    — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025
  • But last week, the Trump administration ordered him to halt all the lab’s ALS research immediately as part of a more than $2.2 billion federal funding freeze.
    — Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2025
Definition of halt
Verb
  • The computer’s latest forecast now has Wycombe down to finish second with an average of 88.75 points across those simulations to Wrexham’s 87.13 points.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2025
  • Miami rallied, finished strong, believed, and these past two play-in games have nourished that belief.
    — Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2025
Definition of finish
Verb
  • Support for the World Food Program Continues, while Funds Benefiting Terrorist Groups Ends USAID has terminated less than 15% of WFP awards, maintaining over 100 active programs with WFP, a key partner.
    — Ted Koppel, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2025
  • At least 47 grants that NCI awarded were terminated in the first month.
    — Rae Ellen Bichell and Rachana Pradhan, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2025
Definition of terminate
Verb
  • This Wedding Banquet concludes with a scene of Angela, Lee, Min, and Chris jointly raising two children, the kid Angela had after a drunken fling with Chris and the one Lee had through the IVF that Min funded.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2025
  • The events will conclude with the beginning of the Novemdiales, a symbolic and procedural period of nine days of prayer, mourning and remembrance.
    — Gabriele Regalbuto, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Definition of conclude

Browse Nearby Words

desirousness
desist
desisted
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Desist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desist. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Words You Always Have to Look Up

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Words in Disguise: Do these seem familiar?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

8 Words with Fascinating Histories
See More

Popular

See More

Words You Always Have to Look Up

8 Words with Fascinating Histories
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-with-string
Fastest Quiz Ever: Missing Link Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All