cease

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verb (used without object),ceased, ceas·ing.

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),ceased, ceas·ing.

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

noun

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

Idioms about cease

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

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

Other words for cease

2	terminate, end, culminate

See synonyms for cease on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for cease

1, 2

begin

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Words Nearby cease

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cease in a sentence

Slowly, slowly, dance classes may cease to be such secret and guilty pleasures in Iran.
Iran’s Becoming a Footloose Nation as Dance Lessons Spread | IranWire | January 2, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
While there are a couple of antibiotics that usually work, if they are overused they, too, may cease to be effective.
Without Education, Antibiotic Resistance Will Be Our Greatest Health Crisis | Russell Saunders | December 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The liberated soul does not cease to act, to think, to create, to instigate revolutionary flows.
On Torture, Chuck Johnson & Sondheim | James Poulos | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.
After Torture Report, Our Moral Authority As a Nation Is Gone | Nick Gillespie | December 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The facts do not cease to matter merely because a white cop killed a black boy.
Dear White People: Well-Meaning Paternalism Is Still Racist | Chloé Valdary | December 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

The bear watched him narrowly with its wicked little eyes, though it did not see fit to cease its paw-licking.
The Giant of the North | R.M. Ballantyne
As soon as he had seen his mother, he would set off again, and never cease searching till he had found either Ramona or her grave.
Ramona | Helen Hunt Jackson
It was a life full of freedom, and I shall never cease to be grateful for it, but I must go home soon and look after my affairs.
Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton
He made him like the saints in glory, and magnified him in the fear of his enemies, and with his words he made prodigies to cease.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | Various
Industrial society, they say, must be reorganized from top to bottom; private industry must cease.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen Leacock

British Dictionary definitions for cease

cease

/ (siːs) /

verb

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

noun

without cease without stopping; incessantly

Origin of cease

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

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