cease

Meanings

1. 1verbintransitiveformal

   To come to an end or stop happening.

   Grammar: No object: the noise ceased.

   Patterns

   • cease to exist

   The rain ceased just before noon.

   When the music ceased, the crowd fell silent.

   The company ceased to exist after the merger.

2. 2verbtransitiveformal

   To stop doing something or bring an activity to an end.

   Grammar: Takes an -ing form or to-infinitive, or a noun: cease operations.

   Patterns

   • cease doing something
   • cease to do something
   • cease something

   The factory will cease production on Friday.

   He never ceased to amaze us with his courage.

   Please cease talking and open your books.

Word forms

Common combinations

cease operations

The airline will cease operations next month.

cease fire

The army was ordered to cease fire.

never cease to amaze

Children never cease to amaze me.

cease and desist

The company received a cease and desist letter.

cease to exist

The old system has ceased to exist.

cease trading

The shop will cease trading at the end of the year.

Synonyms and how they differ

stop

Stop is the everyday word and works in all situations, whereas cease sounds more formal.

halt

Halt suggests an abrupt end, often of movement or an official process.

discontinue

Discontinue is used when ending a regular service or product on purpose.

end

End is neutral and also describes natural finishing, while cease is more formal.

Opposites

Word family

ceasefire noun

an agreement to stop fighting

ceaseless adjective

never stopping

ceaselessly adverb

without stopping

incessant adjective

continuing without pause, from a related root

Commonly confused: cease or seize?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “cease”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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