Cease

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Cease, v. i. [OE. cessen, cesen, F. cesser, fr. L. cessare, v. intensive fr. cedere to withdraw. See Cede , and cf. Cessation.].

•  To come to an end; to stop; to leave off or give over; to desist; as, the noise ceased.  Prov. xx. 3.  [1913 Webster]
•  To be wanting; to fail; to pass away.  [1913 Webster]

  "The poor shall never cease out of the land."

Syn. -- To intermit; desist; stop; abstain; quit; discontinue; refrain; leave off; pause; end.

Cease, v. t. 

 To put a stop to; to bring to an end.  [1913 Webster]
"But he, her fears to cease
Sent down the meek-eyed peace."  [1913 Webster]
"Cease, then, this impious rage."  [1913 Webster]

Cease, n. 

 Extinction.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Cease, v. & n.
--v.tr. & intr. stop; bring or come to an end (ceased breathing).
--n. (in without cease) unending.

Idiom

cease fire Mil. stop firing. cease-fire n.
1 the order to do this.
2 a period of truce; a suspension of hostilities.

Etymology

ME f. OF cesser, L cessare frequent. of cedere cess- yield

THESAURUS

Cease

abandon, abdicate, abjure, abort, acknowledge defeat, ad infinitum, be consumed, be done for, be gone, be no more, belay, calm, calm down, cancel, cease to be, cease to exist, ceaselessly, cede, cessation, close, come to naught, come to nothing, conclude, conclusion, conk out, constantly, continually, continuously, cry quits, cut it out, dematerialize, depart, desist, desist from, desistance, determine, die, die away, die down, die out, disappear, discontinue, dispel, disperse, dissipate, dissolve, do a fade-out, drop, drop it, dwindle, ebb, end, ending, endlessly, erode, eternally, evanesce, evaporate, everlastingly, exit, expire, fade, fade away, fade out, finish, finish up, flee, fly, forever, forgo, forswear, give over, give up, go, go away, halt, hand over, have done with, hide, hold, incessantly, infinitely, interminably, intermit, knock it off, knock off, lay down, lay off, leave no trace, leave off, leave the scene, lull, melt, melt away, molder, pacify, pass, pass away, pass out, peg out, period, perish, perorate, perpetually, quiesce, quiet, quieten, quit, refrain, refrain from, relinquish, renounce, resign, resolve, retire from sight, run out, scrap, scratch, scrub, sink, sink away, soothe, stay, stop, subside, succumb, suffer an eclipse, surcease, surrender, terminate, termination, throw up, tranquilize, unendingly, unremittingly, vanish, vanish from sight, waive, wane, waste, waste away, wear away, wind up, without cease, yield

ROGET THESAURUS

Cease

Cessation

VB cease, discontinue, desist, stay, halt, break off, leave off, hold, stop, pull up, stop short, stick, hang fire, halt, pause, rest, burn out, blow out, melt down, have done with, give over, surcease, shut up shop, give up, hold one's hand, stay one's hand, rest on one's oars repose on one's laurels, come to a stand, come to a standstill, come to a deadlock, come to a full stop, arrive, go out, die away, wear away, wear off, pass away, be at an end, disintegrate, self-destruct, intromit, interrupt, suspend, interpel, intermit, remit, put an end to, put a stop to, put a period to, derail, turn off, switch off, power down, deactivate, disconnect, bring to a stand, bring to a standstill, stop, cut short, arrest, stem the tide, stem the torrent, pull the check-string, pull the plug on, Int, hold!, stop!, enough!, avast!, have done!, a truce to!, soft!, leave off!, tenez!.