discontinue
Americanverb (used with object)
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discontinues,
present (3rd person singular)
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discontinued,
past participle, past
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discontinuing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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discontinues,
present (3rd person singular)
-
discontinued,
past participle, past
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discontinuing
present participle
verb
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to come or bring to an end; interrupt or be interrupted; stop
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(tr) law to terminate or abandon (an action, suit, etc)
Synonym Usage
See interrupt.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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discontinuesimple
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discontinuessimple
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have discontinuedperfect
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has discontinuedperfect
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am discontinuingprogressive
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are discontinuingprogressive
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is discontinuingprogressive
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have been discontinuingperfect progressive
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has been discontinuingperfect progressive
Past
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discontinuedsimple
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had discontinuedperfect
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was discontinuingprogressive
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were discontinuingprogressive
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had been discontinuingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of discontinue
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Anglo-French discontinuer, from Medieval Latin discontinuāre. See dis- 1, continue
Explanation
To discontinue something is to stop it. If you've grown bored with the magazine you get in the mail every month, you can discontinue your subscription. You discontinue things that you want to quit doing or otherwise want to bring to an end. A company also might discontinue a product, or stop making it — you'll be sad if a candy maker discontinues your favorite jelly beans. The word discontinue combines dis-, or "not," with continue, which comes from the Latin continuare, "join together, connect, or make continuous."
Vocabulary lists containing discontinue
The Search Is Over: Synonyms for "Stop"
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for January 7–January 13, 2023
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"Be Prepared" by Vera Brosgol
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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:
As a result, the company decided to discontinue further development of camlipixant in refractory chronic cough, it added.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
But AT&T, which made $23.4 billion in profit last year, is pushing to discontinue its traditional landline service on or after June 1 next year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Users of semaglutide were 28% less likely to discontinue anti-obesity medication use compared with people taking older drugs.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 16, 2026
But the day the Air Force selected the rocket company for the award, SpaceX informed Loverro that the company had decided to discontinue development of that rocket, Loverro told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026
In fact, I had been wondering for some time if we should not discontinue these meetings, given how they prolong our already very busy days.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
Ford Motor on Monday said it would take a $19.5 billion charge as it refocuses on hybrids, slashes its electric-vehicle investments and discontinues the electric F-150 pickup truck.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 15, 2025
What will I do if Nikko discontinues that wonderful William Morris design before I commit to it?
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 5, 2023
Sometimes, when a company discontinues a beloved food, fans take to the social media streets, lamenting the loss or even petitioning the cruel corporate gods for its return.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 13, 2023
It’s not dissimilar to when a makeup line discontinues a color but at a much higher cost.
From The Verge ● Mar. 10, 2022
Such results either cool or excite a populace; either it grows savage at the work or discontinues it.
From An Historical Mystery by Wormeley, Katharine Prescott
"You've got spare garments because companies change their logos or they have discontinued items, sometimes a needle breaks in the machine and the logo is ruined and you can't sell it," he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
The withdrawal has been severe since Dannon discontinued the flavor, known to its most loyal fans as “DCY.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Just 4-5% of those taking semaglutide discontinued treatment.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 8, 2026
Ever since Jaguar Land Rover ceased production of the classic Land Rover Defender, fans have been snapping up discontinued models and breathing new life into them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
The lessons were abruptly discontinued when Mammachi’s teacher Launsky-Tieffenthal made the mistake of telling Pappachi that his wife was exceptionally talented and in his opinion, potentially concert class.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
After discontinuing the medication, many people regain some or all of the weight they lost.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026
Microsoft has since softened its approach, dialing back the branding of some AI tools and even discontinuing free, built-in Copilot access in certain Office applications.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
The insurers behind the Medicare Advantage market have been exiting certain unprofitable markets or discontinuing plans amid higher-than-expected medical expenses among subscribers and changes in government payments that have squeezed margins.
From MarketWatch ● May 18, 2026
Another frustrated user described the Kindle as "probably one of the most low-tech devices ever made" and queried why Amazon was discontinuing its support for it.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026
But the counselor has told me that he feels that Andy is adjusting quite well to the situation, and we will be discontinuing those sessions on a regular basis.
From "Tears of a Tiger" by Sharon M. Draper
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.
