cease
Americanverb (used without object)
-
ceases,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ceased,
past participle, past
-
ceasing
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
ceases,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ceased,
past participle, past
-
ceasing
present participle
noun
idioms
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
ceasesimple
-
ceasessimple
-
have ceasedperfect
-
has ceasedperfect
-
am ceasingprogressive
-
are ceasingprogressive
-
is ceasingprogressive
-
have been ceasingperfect progressive
-
has been ceasingperfect progressive
Past
-
ceasedsimple
-
had ceasedperfect
-
was ceasingprogressive
-
were ceasingprogressive
-
had been ceasingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of cease
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
Explanation
To cease is to stop or end. Your gym teacher may have trained the class so well that all chattering will cease every time she blows her whistle. Cease comes from the Old French cesser, which means "come to an end," "go away," "give up," or "yield." Although cease often appears in the past tense with "-ed," cease is common for talking about things as they come to an end. A dead plant has ceased living, and if you cease watering the rest of the plants, they will cease to exist too.
Vocabulary lists containing cease
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act II
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Christmas Carol Vocab: A Lyrical Lexicon
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
OnPoint Logistics will cease operations at its San Francisco location and cut 96 jobs, according to a government filing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
But the local government separately ordered the project to cease operations, citing licensing irregularities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
"As of today, Have a Nice Stay will cease operation temporarily," the sign said, saying they would notify customers who had ordered books online of further arrangements.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
All scientific observations at Jodrell are expected to cease on the 1 April 2028 unless alternative funding can be found.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Treat them gently and cherish them but do not go back to their way? lest you cease to be Talking Beasts.
From "The Magician's Nephew" by C. S. Lewis
Researchers refer to this phenomenon as Goodhart’s law: “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.”
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
If exchange ceases to be reciprocal, the entire relationship changes.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 7, 2026
The former requires all persons to respect the criminal and civil law while in a foreign nation, but ceases to bind them on their departure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Nikki’s interiority ceases only a moment after that fateful conversation about love and romance on the way home from the bar.
From Salon ● Jun. 4, 2026
In the same way, if we destroy an enzyme that functions at any point in the cycle, oxidation ceases.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Facing the sea, Havana's famous Malecon seawall has ceased to be a promenade for tourists or lovers.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
They noted that a nearby oil rig, Platform Grace, has already ceased operating due to declining production and is now being decommissioned.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
If IBM’s hardware and software suddenly ceased to exist?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
In February 2025, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, ceased its election security activities pending a review.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
Anyhow, all of a sudden the momentary verbal exchange had ceased; the cat’s owner had gone roar-ing up into the sky in his custom new-model handsome hovercar.
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
OnPoint Logistics will be ceasing operations at its San Francisco location and cutting 96 jobs, according to a government filing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
A #SaveDenby campaign encouraging people to buy more products was launched, but administrators said they failed to find a buyer, leading to production ceasing.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
Closing these institutions means students are slowly ceasing to overpay for scant added value.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
The troubled carrier, which was set to emerge from its second bankruptcy in a year, announced it was ceasing operations after a potential White House bailout fell through.
From Barron's ● May 2, 2026
The sewing machine thumps a methodic beat, never ceasing, but only getting stronger and stronger with each stitch.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
