cease and desist

verb

To stop and not resume an action.

“We are told to cease and desist or we will cease to exist.”

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Meanings

verbcease and desist (third-person singular simple present ceases and desists, present participle ceasing and desisting, simple past and past participle ceased and desisted)

present singular third person ceases and desists · participle present ceasing and desisting · participle past ceased and desisted · past ceased and desisted

  1. lawTo stop and not resume an action.

    We are told to cease and desist or we will cease to exist.

nouncease-and-desist
  1. attributivelawA written demand that a party stops and does not resume a certain behavior, such as copyright infringement, slander, or libel, threatening legal action if the recipient fails to do so.

    She received a cease-and-desist from his solicitors soon after the podcast.

  2. USattributivelawAn order by a government agency, sanctioned by a court, that one must stop and not resume a certain (usually illegal) behavior.

    His remarks did not stop the courts from issuing the cease-and-desist order.

Origin

From cease (“stop”), and desist (“to not do again”). The noun sense can be viewed synchronically as an ellipsis of cease-and-desist order.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 結束和停止 /结束和停止
  • 結束和停止 /结束和停止 (jiéshù hé tíngzhǐ)stop and not resume an action
Dutch houd op en doe van afstand
  • houd op en doe van afstandstop and not resume an action
Finnish lopettaa
  • lopettaastop and not resume an action
French cessez et renoncez
  • cessez et renoncezstop and not resume an action
German hören Sie auf und verzichten Sie
  • hören Sie auf und verzichten Siestop and not resume an action
Greek πάψτε και σταματήστε
  • πάψτε και σταματήστε (pápste kai stamatíste)stop and not resume an action
Italian diffida
  • diffidastop and not resume an action
Japanese 停止及び再発阻止
  • 停止及び再発阻止 (teishi, oyobi, saihatsu soshi)stop and not resume an action
Korean 지하고 단념하십시요
  • 지하고 단념하십시요 (ji-hago dannyeom-hasipsiyo)stop and not resume an action
Polish nakaz zaprzestania działalności
  • nakaz zaprzestania działalnościstop and not resume an action
Portuguese cessar
  • cessarstop and not resume an action
Russian прекрати́те и воздержи́тесь
  • прекрати́те и воздержи́тесь (prekratíte i vozderžítesʹ)stop and not resume an action
Spanish cesar y renunciar / desistir
  • cesar y renunciar / desistirstop and not resume an action
Swedish upphöra
  • upphörastop and not resume an action
Cite this entry
APA

cease and desist. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cease%20and%20desist

MLA

“cease and desist.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cease%20and%20desist. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cease and desist,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cease%20and%20desist.

Source: cease and desist on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.