Meanings
cease1
present singular third person ceases · participle present ceasing · participle past ceased · past ceased · first person past singular ceased · archaic present second person singular ceasest · past second person singular ceased · archaic past second person singular ceasedst · present singular third person ceases · archaic present singular third person ceaseth · past singular third person ceased · past plural ceased · past subjunctive ceased · participle present ceasing · participle past ceased
- formalintransitiveTo stop.
And with that, his twitching ceased.
1 more example
After a short while, it ceased to rain.
Synonyms: discontinue, hold, terminate, absolve, complete, conclude, consummate, discontinue
- intransitiveobsoleteTo be wanting; to fail; to pass away, perish.
The poor shall never cease out of the land.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Deuteronomy 15:112 more examples
[...] wherefore ceaſe we then? / Say they who counſel Warr, we are decreed, / Reſerv'd and deſtin'd to Eternal woe;
1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 159-161’Twere best at once to sink to peace, Like birds the charming serpent draws, To drop head-foremost in the jaws Of vacant darkness and to cease.
1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXXIV”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 53
- obsoleteCessation; extinction (see without cease).
the cease of majesty
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, [Act III, scene iii]
Cease2
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo stop.
verbTo stop doing (something).
More synonyms by meaning
verbput an end to a state or an activity
verbhave an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
cease · verb, noun
- Latincēdō
- Latincessō
- Middle Frenchcesser
- Middle Englishcesen
- Englishcease
From Middle English cesen, cessen, from Middle French cesser (“to cease”), from Latin cessō (“leave off”), frequentative of cēdō (“to leave off, go away”). Compare secede.
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Cease · proper noun
- GermanZies
- EnglishCease
Probably an Americanized form of German Zies.
More words from German
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic زَالَ
- زَالَ (zāla)transitive
Bulgarian спирам, преставам
- спирам (spiram)intransitive
- преставам (prestavam)intransitive
- прекратявам (prekratjavam)intransitive
Catalan cessar, cessar
- cessarintransitive
- cessartransitive
- aturartransitive
Chinese Mandarin 停止, 停
- 停止 (tíngzhǐ)intransitive
- 停 (tíng)intransitive
- 停止 (tíngzhǐ)transitive
Czech skončit, přestat
- skončitintransitive
- přestattransitive
- ukončittransitive
- skončittransitive
- zastavittransitive
Danish ophøre, ophøre
- ophøreintransitive
- ophøretransitive
Dutch ophouden
- ophoudentransitive
Esperanto ĉesi, ĉesigi
- ĉesiintransitive
- ĉesigitransitive
Finnish loppua, päättyä
- loppuaintransitive
- päättyäintransitive
- lakataintransitive
- lopettaatransitive
- päättäätransitive
- lakatatransitive
French cesser, s'arrêter
- cesserintransitive
- s'arrêterintransitive
German aufhören, aufhören
- aufhörenintransitive
- aufhörentransitive
- einstellentransitive
Hebrew חדל
- חדל (khadál)transitive
Hungarian abbamarad, megszűnik
- abbamaradintransitive
- megszűnikintransitive
- abbahagytransitive
- befejeztransitive
- beszüntettransitive
Italian cessare, arrestare
- cessareintransitive
- arrestareintransitive
- smettereintransitive
- interrompereintransitive
- cessaretransitive
- smettere ditransitive
Japanese 止む, 止める
- 止む (yamu)intransitive
- 止めるtransitive
Korean 그치다, 중지하다
- 그치다 (geuchida)intransitive
- 중지하다 (jungjihada)intransitive
- 그치다 (geuchida)transitive
Māori tāhaohao, mutu
- tāhaohaointransitive
- mutuintransitive
- nanapeintransitive
- pārirāintransitive
- kātitransitive
- whakamututransitive
- whakaotitransitive
Persian متوقف شدن, متوقف کردن
- متوقف شدنintransitive
- متوقف کردنtransitive
Polish zaprzestać
- zaprzestaćintransitive
Portuguese cessar, parar
- cessarintransitive
- parartransitive
Romanian înceta, conteni
- încetaintransitive
- conteniintransitive
- opriintransitive
- întrerupetransitive
Russian прекраща́ться, прекрати́ться
- прекраща́ться (prekraščátʹsja)intransitive
- прекрати́ться (prekratítʹsja)intransitive
- прекраща́ть (prekraščátʹ)transitive
- прекрати́ть (prekratítʹ)transitive
- перестава́ть (perestavátʹ)transitive
- переста́ть (perestátʹ)transitive
Scottish Gaelic leig seachad
- leig seachadtransitive
Slovak prestať, zastaviť sa
- prestaťintransitive
- zastaviť saintransitive
- prestaťtransitive
- zastaviťtransitive
Spanish cesar, parar
- cesarintransitive
- pararintransitive
- terminarintransitive
- dejar detransitive
- cesar detransitive
Swahili kuacha
- kuachatransitive
Swedish upphöra, upphöra med
- upphöraintransitive
- upphöra medtransitive
Tagalog hinto
- hintointransitive
Turkish durmak, bitmek
- durmakintransitive
- bitmekintransitive
- durmaktransitive
- durdurmaktransitive
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with cease
Cite this entry
cease. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cease
“cease.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cease. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cease,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cease.
Source: cease on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.