cessation

American  

[se-sey-shuhn] / sɛˈseɪ ʃən /

noun

cessations plural

1. a temporary or complete stopping; discontinuance.

   a cessation of hostilities.

   Synonyms:

   recess, stay, suspension, end, halt, stop

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cessation British  

/ sɛˈseɪʃən /

noun

1. a ceasing or stopping; discontinuance; pause

   temporary cessation of hostilities

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• cessations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cessation

1350–1400; Middle English cessacio ( u ) n < Latin cessātiōn- (stem of cessātiō ) delay, inactivity, stoppage, equivalent to cessāt ( us ) past participle of cessāre to delay, stop ( cess ( us ) yielded, ceded ( ced- cede + -tus past participle suffix) + -ātus -ate ¹ ) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

Cessation is an end to something, such as the stopping of a bad habit, like the cessation of smoking. Cessation and cease sound alike and have similar meanings because they both come from the Latin word cessare, which means "to delay, to stop." The cessation can be permanent, such as when the protests resulted in the cessation of the use of baby bunnies to test lipsticks (forever ending the bunny torture); or temporary, such as the cessation of the rain during the storm that let us run to the car without getting wet (but rain, like sunshine, always comes back).

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cessation cessations

Traders seem to be anticipating a repeat of the now familiar pattern—a cessation of hostilities and talk of a “deal.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

In a joint statement released on Wednesday by the US State Department, the three countries said the deal was "contingent on a complete cessation" of fire by Hezbollah.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

Iran and the United States last week agreed to a two-week cessation of hostilities, but ceasefire talks between the warring sides in Pakistan over the weekend ended in failure.

From Barron's ● Apr. 14, 2026

But first, a reminder that the “peace dividend” — that is, the surge of available resources for socially beneficial spending after the cessation of hostilities — has always been an elusive concept.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026

Strauss reiterated his familiar theme that the cessation of testing would have “severe repercussions” for the clean weapons program and that Los Alamos and Livermore would “lose momentum” during the suspension.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations last week had resulted in an agreement to create tentative cessations of fighting along “green” humanitarian corridors to facilitate civilian evacuations.

From Washington Times ● Mar. 6, 2022

During cessations of hostilities in the 1980s and 1990s, standard immunizations reached children in countries including Afghanistan, Cambodia, Lebanon, and Sudan.

From Scientific American ● Aug. 26, 2021

Sleep apnea is a term that’s used broadly to describe cessations of breath during sleep.

From The Verge ● Aug. 30, 2017

“Sporadic and temporary cessations of violence cannot become ends in themselves,” said the statement, which was signed by organizations including Oxfam and Save the Children.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 16, 2016

He eats and drinks as well as ever during even short cessations of the pain—nature is so queer!

From The Red Inn by Wormeley, Katharine Prescott