cease

[ sees ]
See synonyms for: ceaseceasedceasing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),ceased, ceas·ing.
  1. to stop; discontinue: Not all medieval beliefs have ceased to exist.

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

  1. Obsolete. to pass away; die out.

verb (used with object),ceased, ceas·ing.
  1. to put a stop or end to; discontinue: He begged them to cease their quarreling.

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

Idioms about cease

  1. never cease to amaze. See entry at never cease to amaze.

Origin of cease

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English ces(s)en, from Old French cesser, from Latin cessāre “to leave off,” equivalent to cess(us) (past participle of cēdere “to withdraw, go”; see cede

Other words for cease

Opposites for cease

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use cease in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cease

cease

/ (siːs) /


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

noun
  1. without cease without stopping; incessantly

Origin of cease

1
C14: from Old French cesser, from Latin cessāre, frequentative of cēdere to yield, cede

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with cease

cease

In addition to the idiom beginning with cease

  • cease and desist

also see:

  • wonders will never cease

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.