cease and desist

1. Stop, leave off doing something, as in: “Bliss excavated at least once on his own and Dr. Brand ... told him to cease and desist” (Douglas Preston quoting Frank Hibben, The New Yorker, June 12, 1995). This legal term is a redundancy, since cease and desist mean virtually the same thing, but often appears in legal documents to avoid possible misinterpretation. [c. 1920]

Example Sentences

Ms Cox's lawyer sent the company a legal "cease and desist" letter, asking that it stop using the phrase, but she said the response described her as "bitter".

Read more on BBC

In a response to the MPA’s cease and desist letter, Meta said it never claimed or implied that its teen accounts were officially PG-13 rated or certified by the MPA.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“No later than September 29, 2025, the National Council on Problem Gambling shall cease and desist from continuing to use the 1-800-Gambler helpline,” Hurd wrote in a signed order.

Read more on Barron's

In 2022, Smucker sent a cease and desist letter to Gallant Tiger, a Minneapolis-based snack startup that produces similar sandwiches.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In the letter, the agency reminded the company that it “reserves the right to direct TBC to cease and desist construction activities” under the agreement.

Read more on Salon