cease

See also: Cease

English

Etymology

From Middle English cesen, cessen, from Middle French cesser (“to cease”), from Latin cessō (“leave off”), frequentative of cēdō (“to leave off, go away”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /siːs/
Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -iːs

Verb

cease (third-person singular simple present ceases, present participle ceasing, simple past and past participle ceased)

(formal, intransitive) To stop.
And with that, his twitching ceased.
Synonyms: discontinue, hold, terminate; see also Thesaurus:end, Thesaurus:stop
(formal, transitive) To stop doing (something).
And with that, he ceased twitching.
Synonyms: arrest, discontinue; see also Thesaurus:desist
(obsolete, intransitive) To be wanting; to fail; to pass away, perish.
Synonyms: desert, lack
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Deuteronomy 15:11:
  The poor shall never cease out of the land.
- 1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554, lines 159-161:
  [...] wherefore ceaſe we then? / Say they who counſel Warr, we are decreed, / Reſerv'd and deſtin'd to Eternal woe;

Derived terms

cease and desist
cease-fire
ceaseless
wonders never cease

Related terms

cessation

Translations

intransitive

Bulgarian: спирам (bg) (spiram), преставам (bg) (prestavam), прекратявам (bg) (prekratjavam)
Catalan: cessar (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 停止 (zh) (tíngzhǐ), 停 (zh) (tíng)
Cornish: hedhi
Czech: skončit (cs)
Danish: ophøre (da)
Esperanto: ĉesi (eo)
Finnish: loppua (fi), päättyä (fi), lakata (fi)
French: cesser (fr), s'arrêter (fr)
German: aufhören (de)
Gothic: 𐍃𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌽 (sweiban)
Hungarian: abbamarad (hu), megszűnik (hu)
Italian: cessare (it), arrestare (it), smettere (it), interrompere (it)
Japanese: 止む (ja) (やむ, yamu)
Korean: 그치다 (ko) (geuchida), 중지하다 (jungjihada)
Macedonian: престанува impf (prestanuva), престане pf (prestane)
Malayalam: നിൽക്കുക (ml) (nilkkuka)
Maori: tāhaohao (of rain), mutu, nanape, pārirā (of wind)
Nahuatl: caua, cacauantoc
Norman: cêssi
Northern Ohlone: júwa
Occitan: cessar
Persian: متوقف شدن‎ (fa)
Polish: zaprzestać (pl)
Portuguese: cessar (pt)
Romanian: înceta (ro), conteni (ro), opri (ro)
Russian: прекраща́ться (ru) impf (prekraščátʹsja), прекрати́ться (ru) pf (prekratítʹsja)
Slovak: prestať, zastaviť sa
Spanish: cesar (es), parar (es), terminar (es)
Swedish: upphöra (sv)
Tagalog: (literally) hinto
Tocharian B: ār-

transitive

Arabic: زَالَ‎ (zāla)
Catalan: cessar (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 停止 (zh) (tíngzhǐ)
Cornish: hedhi
Czech: přestat (cs), ukončit (cs), skončit (cs), zastavit (cs)
Danish: ophøre (da)
Dutch: ophouden (nl)
Esperanto: ĉesigi
Finnish: lopettaa (fi), päättää (fi), lakata (fi)
French: cesser (fr) de + infinitive, arrêter (fr) de + infinitive
German: aufhören (de), einstellen (de)
Gothic: 𐌲𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌽𐌸𐌾𐌰𐌽 (gananþjan)
Hebrew: חדל‎ (he) (khadál)
Hungarian: abbahagy (hu), befejez (hu), beszüntet (hu)
Ido: cesar (io)
Italian: cessare (it), smettere di (it)
Japanese: 止める (ja) (とめる, tomeru, やめる, yameru)
Korean: 그치다 (ko) (geuchida)
Malayalam: നിർത്തുക (ml) (niṟttuka)
Maori: kāti, whakamutu, whakaoti
Ngazidja Comorian: urantsi
Norman: cêssi de
Portuguese: parar (pt)
Romanian: întrerupe (ro)
Russian: прекраща́ть (ru) impf (prekraščátʹ), прекрати́ть (ru) pf (prekratítʹ), перестава́ть (ru) impf (perestavátʹ), переста́ть (ru) pf (perestátʹ)
Scottish Gaelic: leig seachad
Slovak: prestať, zastaviť
Spanish: dejar de (es)
Swahili: kuacha (sw)
Swedish: upphöra med (sv)
Turkish: durmak (tr), durdurmak (tr)

Noun

cease

(obsolete) Cessation; extinction (see without cease).
- c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act III, scene iii]:
  the cease of majesty

Anagrams

escae