discontinue
Americanverb (used with object)
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discontinues,
present (3rd person singular)
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discontinued,
past participle, past
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discontinuing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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discontinues,
present (3rd person singular)
-
discontinued,
past participle, past
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discontinuing
present participle
verb
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to come or bring to an end; interrupt or be interrupted; stop
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(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
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discontinuesimple
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discontinuessimple
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have discontinuedperfect
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has discontinuedperfect
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am discontinuingprogressive
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are 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.
See Examples For:
But AT&T, which made $23.4 billion in profit last year, is pushing to discontinue its traditional landline service on or after June 1 next year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
And people with diabetes who exercised in the afternoon doubled their odds of being able to discontinue glucose-lowering medications altogether.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 21, 2026
For many people, that side effect can be difficult to manage and may lead them to discontinue treatment.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 17, 2026
However, the Crown Prosecution Service decided to discontinue the proceedings.
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
She was going to discontinue carrying the unlucky peacock-blue nail polish.
From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Ford Motor on Monday said it would take a $19.5 billion charge as it refocuses on hybrids, slashes its electric-vehicle investments and discontinues the electric F-150 pickup truck.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 15, 2025
What will I do if Nikko discontinues that wonderful William Morris design before I commit to it?
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 5, 2023
Sometimes, when a company discontinues a beloved food, fans take to the social media streets, lamenting the loss or even petitioning the cruel corporate gods for its return.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 13, 2023
It’s not dissimilar to when a makeup line discontinues a color but at a much higher cost.
From The Verge ● Mar. 10, 2022
Trajan discontinues the annual payment to the Dacians; they invade the Roman provinces; Trajan attacks and drives them over the Danube.
From The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 03 by Charles F. (Charles Francis) Horne
The Reduced was officially discontinued in 2008, but it remains a cult classic on the resale market.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Overall, 10.4 percent of participants discontinued treatment, and researchers reported no cases of drug-induced liver injury.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026
The Chevrolet Camaro was discontinued in 2023, and the Dodge Charger and Challenger disappeared from the market for decades before their 2000s revival.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
"You've got spare garments because companies change their logos or they have discontinued items, sometimes a needle breaks in the machine and the logo is ruined and you can't sell it," he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
In 2011, the United States discontinued its space shuttle program.
From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson
After discontinuing the medication, many people regain some or all of the weight they lost.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026
Microsoft has since softened its approach, dialing back the branding of some AI tools and even discontinuing free, built-in Copilot access in certain Office applications.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
The company is overhauling operations, discontinuing games, closing studios, and cutting jobs to restore profitability.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
Another frustrated user described the Kindle as "probably one of the most low-tech devices ever made" and queried why Amazon was discontinuing its support for it.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026
But the counselor has told me that he feels that Andy is adjusting quite well to the situation, and we will be discontinuing those sessions on a regular basis.
From "Tears of a Tiger" by Sharon M. Draper
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.
