desist
Americanverb (used without object)
-
desists,
present (3rd person singular)
-
desisted,
past participle, past
-
desisting
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
desistsimple
-
desistssimple
-
have desistedperfect
-
has desistedperfect
-
am desistingprogressive
-
are desistingprogressive
-
is desistingprogressive
-
have been desistingperfect progressive
-
has been desistingperfect progressive
Past
-
desistedsimple
-
had desistedperfect
-
was desistingprogressive
-
were desistingprogressive
-
had been desistingperfect progressive
Future
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” ( see stand)
Explanation
You can use the verb desist as a way to say "stop" or "cease." Instead of yelling "Cut it out!" the new neighbor asked the tween girls to desist from playing any more loud, screeching music from that long-haired boy-band. If you want to insist that someone stop doing something, the word desist is a solid choice. It's often used as part of a legal order called a "cease and desist," which forces an action to come to a halt. "Cease" is a synonym for desist, so using the two together says "stop it!" loud and clear — and kind of redundantly. While cease often goes hand in hand with it, desist, can also be followed by from in the form another command: "Desist from camping on the lawn of your favorite singer's home so you won't be arrested."
Vocabulary lists containing desist
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Refugee
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
In the Time of the Butterflies
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
In a statement on Tuesday, ZDF told the BBC that Elon Musk had demanded a "cease and desist" declaration, through a German law firm.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
The bar says the firm refused to remove McBratney’s name from its website for years despite a cease and desist letter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
Swalwell’s attorney Elias Dabaie of the law firm Dabaie Kelley, in Los Angeles, confirmed Friday that he sent the cease and desist letter, which tells the recipient that they could be sued for defamation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
He declined to say whether other cease and desist letters had been sent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
One day he lit into Vanguard’s index funds and almost instantly received a cease and desist order from Vanguard’s attorneys.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Discovery were the latest studios to send cease and desists letter to ByteDance on Tuesday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026
“An honest conversation about coal and its miners needs to be had, and we should neither cease or desists from having it.”
From The Guardian ● Jun. 19, 2017
"I've gotten cease and desists before," he says.
From Time Magazine Archive
Sîla means those particular volitions and mental states, etc. by which a man who desists from committing sinful actions maintains himself on the right path.
From A History of Indian Philosophy, Volume 1 by Surendranath Dasgupta
He desists, and once more hangs vertically, from the limb.
From The Fatal Cord And The Falcon Rover by Mayne Reid
Anderson "desisted" when the woman did not say yes and left the bedroom, at which point the complainant heard her vomiting in the bathroom.
From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2026
This inaugural episode was met with a cease-and-desist letter from Fox News, and while Carlson neither ceased nor desisted, it ultimately didn’t matter, because “Tucker on Twitter” did not sustain its initial momentum.
From Slate ● May 17, 2024
The next week, her lawyer sent a letter to BRIC, saying that unless Zahedi desisted from airing any episodes featuring footage of Field or the children, she would “commence legal action.”
From New York Times ● Oct. 30, 2019
During that time I’d desisted not only from buying a new wallet but even from cancelling or replacing my credit cards and my driver’s license and my health-insurance card.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 25, 2018
Fleur Delacour gave him a very patronizing look, and he desisted.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
A 2022 study of 317 trans youths discovered that after an average of five years of socially transitioning only 2.5 percent of participants ended up desisting and identifying as cisgender.
From Slate ● May 2, 2023
He alone was irreconcilable, and blustered about legal proceedings, only desisting when persuaded that he had no case, even for the venal courts of San Juan.
From His Unknown Wife by Louis Tracy
Lucy exclaimed, desisting from her occupation of opening books and turning over music; "for you can tell us all about Nola and her love story."
From The Galaxy, April, 1877 Vol. XXIII.—April, 1877.—No. 4. by Various
But Blue Streak had no intention of desisting as long as the roan was in front.
From The Fighting Edge by William MacLeod Raine
This too he bore without desisting & at the end of some months once more asked me with passionate entreaties.
From The Letters of Anne Gilchrist and Walt Whitman by Anne Burrows Gilchrist
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.
