cessation

American  

[se-say-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

“For us here in the region, while we prefer a stalemate over war, we prefer a permanent cessation of hostilities over a stalemate,” the senior Gulf official said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

For the first two decades, the firm specialised in managing probate house clearances, cessation of business asset disposals and private chattels.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Washington had said the cessation in fighting was aimed at kickstarting a new round of negotiations, including over the Strait of Hormuz.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

Muir said work is being progressed "as a priority" to develop a temporary cessation scheme to support permit holders affected by the closure of the yellow eel fishery.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

While in Cairo I held a press conference at which I said the ANC was “prepared to consider a cessation of hostilities.”

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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

But their efforts have brought no lasting truce to Syria, only brief cessations of hostility that have ended, usually, when Syrian troops go on the attack.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 15, 2016

Partial cessations in the fall of sleet were also cheering occasionally; but the appearance of stars two hours before daylight promised to reward our enterprise and inspired me with hope.

From Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia, Volume 2 by Thomas Mitchell