discontinue
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
-
to come or bring to an end; interrupt or be interrupted; stop
-
(tr) law to terminate or abandon (an action, suit, etc)
Synonym Usage
See interrupt.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
discontinuesimple
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discontinuessimple
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have discontinuedperfect
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has discontinuedperfect
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are discontinuingprogressive
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am discontinuingprogressive
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is discontinuingprogressive
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have been discontinuingperfect progressive
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has been discontinuingperfect progressive
Past
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discontinuedsimple
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had discontinuedperfect
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was discontinuingprogressive
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were discontinuingprogressive
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had been discontinuingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of discontinue
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Anglo-French discontinuer, from Medieval Latin discontinuāre. See dis- 1, continue
Explanation
To discontinue something is to stop it. If you've grown bored with the magazine you get in the mail every month, you can discontinue your subscription. You discontinue things that you want to quit doing or otherwise want to bring to an end. A company also might discontinue a product, or stop making it — you'll be sad if a candy maker discontinues your favorite jelly beans. The word discontinue combines dis-, or "not," with continue, which comes from the Latin continuare, "join together, connect, or make continuous."
Vocabulary lists containing discontinue
The Search Is Over: Synonyms for "Stop"
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for January 7–January 13, 2023
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"Be Prepared" by Vera Brosgol
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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.
Discontinue, dis-kon-tin′ū, v.t. to cease to continue: to put an end to: to leave off: to stop.—v.i. to cease: to be separated from.—ns.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various
Trembling against the shock she could only murmur: "Discontinue?"
From Once Aboard the Lugger by Hutchinson, A. S. M. (Arthur Stuart-Menteth)
Discontinue when at the end of the journey.
From Mother's Remedies Over One Thousand Tried and Tested Remedies from Mothers of the United States and Canada by Ritter, Thomas Jefferson
Discontinue the use of the syringe as soon as the succession crops begin to ripen.
From In-Door Gardening for Every Week in the Year Showing the Most Successful Treatment for all Plants Cultivated in the Greenhouse, Conservatory, Stove, Pit, Orchid, and Forcing-house by Keane, William
Discontinue watering when the foliage shows signs of failing, but avoid shrivelling the leaves.
From Gardening for the Million by Pink, Alfred
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.
