desist
Americanverb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
- desistance noun
- desistence noun
- nondesisting adjective
- undesisting adjective
Etymology
Origin of desist
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Old French desister, from Latin dēsistere “to leave off,” equivalent to dē- de- + sistere “to stand, place,” akin to stāre “to stand” ( stand )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He tells BBC Newsbeat that he expected to receive a cease and desist letter from the retail giant after describing some of the clothes as "boring" and "tacky PE kit".
From BBC • Feb. 25, 2026
Discovery, Paramount and Disney have all sent individual cease and desist letters, detailing the unauthorized reproduction of each of the studios’ copyrighted intellectual property.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2026
Mark Joseph Stern: I think he is begging us to please cease and desist calling them “Kavanaugh stops.”
From Slate • Dec. 30, 2025
Some have issued cease and desist orders against prediction market platforms, while others, such as Massachusetts, have sued them.
From Barron's • Dec. 11, 2025
Nothing made him desist except his own lamentable state of demoralization.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
