cease
[ sees ]
/ sis /
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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.
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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”; ced- “go” + -tus past participle suffix) + -ā- thematic vowel + -re infinitive ending; see cede
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use cease in a sentence
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
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Other Idioms and Phrases with cease
cease
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.