discontinue
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
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to come or bring to an end; interrupt or be interrupted; stop
-
(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.
And people with diabetes who exercised in the afternoon doubled their odds of being able to discontinue glucose-lowering medications altogether.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 21, 2026
People taking newer GLP-1 drugs such as tirzepatide were 41% less likely to discontinue treatment than those using older medications such as liraglutide.
From Science Daily • Jun. 16, 2026
In May, Sony announced plans to discontinue support for the multiplayer title Destruction AllStars.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
Eli Lilly said that while the currently approved Type I JAK2 inhibitors provide clinical and symptomatic relief, many patients often discontinue treatment due to a lack of durable benefit or loss of response.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026
She was going to discontinue carrying the unlucky peacock-blue nail polish.
From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan
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.
