cease

[sees] /sis/
verb (used without object), ceased, ceasing.
1.
to stop; discontinue:
Not all medieval beliefs have ceased to exist.
2.
to come to an end:
At last the war has ceased.
3.
Obsolete. to pass away; die out.
verb (used with object), ceased, ceasing.
4.
to put a stop or end to; discontinue:
He begged them to cease their quarreling.
noun
5.
cessation:
The noise of the drilling went on for hours without cease.
Origin
1250-1300; Middle English ces(s)en < Old French cesser < Latin cessāre to leave off, equivalent to cess(us) (past participle of cēdere to withdraw, go; ced- go + -tus past participle suffix) + -ā- thematic vowel + -re infinitive ending; see cede
Related forms
unceased, adjective
Synonyms
2. terminate, end, culminate.
Antonyms
1, 2. begin.
Examples from the web for cease
  • Realize that it will never cease, never stop, but be your constant companion for as long as you live.
  • It doesn't matter what you do, a campus would cease to exist if it wasn't for a combined effort.
  • And the rest of the country needs to cease emulating this behavior.
  • As long as this ambiguity remains in place, speculators are unlikely to cease their attacks on euro-zone debt markets.
  • Now at some point after this it will cease its gravitational pull on the surrounding objects.
  • If you tried to venture into that outside world, you would cease to be.
  • That's why the workers had to cease their efforts and take cover at various periods.
  • Cities that cease to provide choice-or which try to overcontrol their denizens-lose their spark and sometimes perish.
  • With more power the delay factor would cease to be a problem, bang you are fried.
  • So cease and desist or the next voice you will hear will be that of my attorney.
British Dictionary definitions for cease

cease

/siːs/
verb
1.
when tr, may take a gerund or an infinitive as object. to bring or come to an end; desist from; stop
noun
2.
without cease, without stopping; incessantly
Word Origin
C14: from Old French cesser, from Latin cessāre, frequentative of cēdere to yield, cede
Word Origin and History for cease
v.

c.1300, cesen, from Old French cesser "to come to an end, stop, cease; give up, desist," from Latin cessare "to cease, go slow, give over, leave off, be idle," frequentative of cedere (past participle cessus) "go away, withdraw, yield" (see cede). Related: Ceased; ceasing. Old English in this sense had geswican, blinnan.

n.

"cessation, stopping," c.1300, from cease (n.) or else from Old French cesse "cease, cessation," from cesser.

Idioms and Phrases with cease

cease

In addition to the idiom beginning with cease also see: wonders will never cease