desist

[dih-zist, -sist]

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verb (used without object)

to cease, as from some action or proceeding; stop.

Origin of desist

1425–75; late Middle English < Old French desister < Latin dēsistere to leave off, equivalent to dē- de- + sistere to stand, place, akin to stāre to stand

Related formsde·sist·ance, de·sist·ence, nounnon·de·sist·ance, nounnon·de·sist·ence, nounnon·de·sist·ing, adjective, nounun·de·sist·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for desist

relinquish, abstain, cease, forbear, quit, suspend, end, halt, avoid, discontinue, yield, pause, resign, abandon, surcease

Examples from the Web for desist

Contemporary Examples of desist

He said that when he told her to desist, she threatened to hit herself and then tell the cops that he had done it.
The Black Widow of Silicon Valley
Michael Daly
July 14, 2014
Then there are the cases where the FEC does issue a cease and desist directive—only to be completely ignored.
Hillary’s SuperPAC War Proves Yet Again That Campaign Finance Needs a Fix
Michelle Cottle
January 28, 2014
It is not your duty to complete the task, but neither are you free to desist from it.
I Will Not Return to the Dark Reality of Putin's Russia
Garry Kasparov
June 20, 2013
I hereby call on all Republicans involved in any voter suppression efforts to cease and desist immediately.
Four Things Reince Priebus Could Say That Would Matter
Michael Tomasky
March 19, 2013
And I wish, for the sake of our country and in the name of decency, both sides would cease and desist.
Campbell Brown: Keep Newtown Off the Culture War Battlefield
Campbell Brown
December 21, 2012

Historical Examples of desist

This time he did not desist until he had broken through the panel.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
She stood on a balcony above, and called upon the people to desist, and hear her.
The Snare
Rafael Sabatini
Then in English he had summoned his countrymen also to desist.
The Sea-Hawk
Raphael Sabatini
Stephen was even the more provoked because Benjamin cried to him to desist.
The Fairchild Family
Mary Martha Sherwood
But desist from this, at once; it is a thing that cannot be apprehended (grasped).
The Epistles of St. Peter and St. Jude Preached and Explained
Martin Luther

British Dictionary definitions for desist

desist

verb

(intr often foll by from) to cease, as from an action; stop or abstain

Derived Formsdesistance or desistence, noun

Word Origin for desist

C15: from Old French desister, from Latin dēsistere to leave off, stand apart, from de- + sistere to stand, halt

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

Word Origin and History for desist

mid-15c., from Middle French désister (mid-14c.), from Latin desistere "to stand aside, leave off, cease," from de- "off" (see de-) + sistere "stop, come to a stand" (see assist). Related: Desisted; desisting.

Idioms and Phrases with desist

desist

see cease and desist.