Desist

//dɪˈsɪst// verb

verb ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Verb

1
To cease to proceed or act; to stop (often with from). ambitransitive, formal
"Please desist from telephoning me at this number."
2
choose not to consume wordnet

Synonyms

abandon abdicate abjure abort absist abstain

Antonyms

animate continue persevere persist

Example

"I demand that you cease and desist from sending unsolicited emails."

Etymology

From Middle French desister.

Related phrases

cease and desist

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.