Basic+ Word of the Day: cease

cease (verb, noun) past tense: ceased

"You never cease to amaze me!"

Cease means ‘to cause to stop or discontinue.’

• All fighting must cease.
• "When you cease your complaining, we can discuss the party plans."
• "The comedian never ceases to amuse me."

Cease also means ‘a stopping.’

• The neighbors' loud music continued all night without cease.

Common uses

cease and desist: a legal order that requires someone to stop doing a certain activity. Example: “They received a cease-and-desist order to stop playing loud music at night.”

Will wonders never cease? is an expression of delight when something unexpected happens. For example: “Our team won in overtime. Will wonders never cease?”

Related words

ceasefire: a stopping of hostilities in a war or battle. Example: “There was a ceasefire during the peace talks.”

In pop culture

Watch the music video of “Wonders Never Cease” by Morcheeba and read the lyrics in the comments.

There are other meanings of cease.