discontinue
Americanverb (used with object)
-
discontinues,
present (3rd person singular)
-
discontinued,
past participle, past
-
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
-
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:
Some video game fans are flabbergasted at Sony's decision to discontinue disc sales from 2028 at Germany's Gamescom trade show -- leading to calls for a boycott.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
Coffee yogurt: Dannon’s decision to discontinue the fan favorite offers brand strategists a live study in managing heritage products against modern consumer shifts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
During the 2015 Fifa scandal, Sony, Emirates, Castrol, Continental Tyres and Johnson & Johnson were among the companies to discontinue their huge sponsorship deals.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
The FCC decision does not allow AT&T to immediately discontinue its landlines, said Ryan Johnston, a telecommunications regulatory attorney who works for the Utility Reform Network.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 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
Tobacco: place of in Virginia agriculture, 42-52; Washington's experience with, 68; discontinues growing of, 69.
From George Washington: Farmer by Paul Leland Haworth
By contrast, people who discontinued GLP-1 therapy before reaching 18 months showed no significant reduction in cardiovascular risk compared with those taking sulfonylureas by the end of the study.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
I daydream about the kishka dog in “Eat Jewish,” mourn Einstein Bros.’ discontinued bagel dog and would, without much arm-twisting, once again pay $28 for pigs in a blanket at the Ralph Lauren Club.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
The service was discontinued in January 2023, external after the company said it had not attracted as many users as hoped.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Twitter discontinued the app in 2017 after a four-year run, but its weird and wonderful videos have lived on in the collective memory of the Very Online ever since.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
On October 14, Hitler had abruptly quit the League of Nations and discontinued Germany’s ongoing disarmament talks with France and her allies.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
The company has an experimental daily pill designed to help patients maintain weight loss after discontinuing GLP-1 medications.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Section 6 writes the procedure for discontinuing the next circulating coin: 60 days’ notice to the banking committees, a phaseout plan, a briefing.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 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
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.
