Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

cease

[sees]

Origin

verb (used without object)

to stop; discontinue: Not all medieval beliefs have ceased to exist.

to come to an end: At last the war has ceased.

Obsolete. to pass away; die out.

verb (used with object)

to put a stop or end to; discontinue: He begged them to cease their quarreling.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Cease is one of our favorite verbs.

So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:

to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.

to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.

LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

noun

cessation: The noise of the drilling went on for hours without cease.

Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English ces(s)en < Old French cesser < Latin cessāre to leave off, equivalent to cess(us) (past participle of cēdere to withdraw, go; ced- go + -tus past participle suffix) + -ā- thematic vowel + -re infinitive ending; see cede

Related forms

un·ceased, adjective

Synonyms
2. terminate, end, culminate.

Antonyms
1, 2. begin.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To cease

Collins

World English Dictionary

cease (siːs)

—vb (when tr, may take a gerund or an infinitive as object)
1.	to bring or come to an end; desist from; stop

—n
2.	without cease without stopping; incessantly

[C14: from Old French cesser, from Latin cessāre, frequentative of cēdere to yield, cede]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

cease

c.1300, from O.Fr. cesser, from L. cessare "to cease, go slow," frequentative of cedere "go away, withdraw, yield" (see cede). Replaced O.E. geswican, and blinnan. Ceaseless is recorded from 1586; ceaselessly from 1593. Cease-fire "armistice" is from 1918.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source

American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

cease

In addition to the idiom beginning with cease, also see wonders will never cease.

Word Dynamo By Dictionary.com

Searching for cease?
How many words do you actually know?

FIND OUT

Related Words

drop surcease suspend abort break close

disappear discharge forget quit stop yield

Idioms & Phrases

cease

wonders will never cease

Matching Quote

"Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come, and the years draw near when you will say, "I have no pleasure in them"; before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return with the rain; in the day when the guards of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the women who grind cease working because they are few, and those who look through the windows see dimly; when the doors on the street are shut, and the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low; when one is afraid of heights, and terrors are in the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along and desire fails; because all must go to their eternal home, and the mourners will go about the streets; before the silver cord is snapped, and the golden bowl is broken, and the pitcher is broken at the fountain, and the wheel broken at the cistern, and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the breath returns to God who gave it."

-unknown author

Partners:Word Bloglines Citysearch The Daily Beast Ask Answers Ask Kids Life123 Sendori Thesaurus

About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help