cease

[ sees ]

/ sis /

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See synonyms for: cease / ceased / ceasing on Thesaurus.com

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR cease

2 terminate, end, culminate.

See synonyms for cease on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR cease

1, 2 begin.

See antonyms for cease on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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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

Words nearby cease

CD writer, Ce, CEA, ceanothus, Ceará, cease, cease and desist, cease-and-desist order, ceased, cease-fire, ceaseless

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

How to use cease in a sentence

Burned out employees work less effectively, the researchers reason, and there are few surer routes to burnout than striving without cease both at work and at home, especially when bringing up kids in the process.
How companies can help couples achieve equality at home—and stave off burnout|Cassie Werber|February 16, 2022|Quartz
At what point does a netizen's right to privacy and anonymity cease is the crux of the lawsuit brought forth against LiquidVPN.
Film studios sue “no logs” VPN provider for $10 million|Ax Sharma|September 27, 2021|Ars Technica
According to a cease and desist letter Brown sent to Bishop Sycamore in February, YouthBuild informed the state attorney general and the police department of Bishop Sycamore’s “fraudulent” activities.
Bishop Sycamore, IMG and the high school football game that duped ESPN|Ben Strauss|September 1, 2021|Washington Post
Egypt helped the United States with backroom diplomacy and brokered the most recent cease fire.
Opinion | Netanyahu, Hamas must go to achieve any peace|Peter Rosenstein|May 27, 2021|Washington Blade

Despite this cease fire unless things change we will see violence break out every few years.
Opinion | Netanyahu, Hamas must go to achieve any peace|Peter Rosenstein|May 27, 2021|Washington Blade
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|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|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|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|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|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

Word Origin for 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

cease

OTHER WORDS FOR cease

OPPOSITES FOR cease

Idioms about cease

Origin of cease

Words nearby cease

Words related to cease

How to use cease in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cease

Word Origin for cease

Other Idioms and Phrases with cease