Thesaurus:desist

Thesaurus

desist

English

Verb

Sense: to cease to proceed or act

Synonyms

• absist (obsolete)
• belay (nautical)
• blin (archaic or dialectal)
• break off
• cease
• cess (obsolete)
• cheese it (idiomatic, slang)
• come to an end
• desist
• discontinue
• forbear
• halt
• have done with
• hold
• leave off
• let up
• rest
• stanch
• staunch
• stay
• stop    [⇒ thesaurus]
• surcease
• terminate

Antonyms

• continue
• persevere    [⇒ thesaurus]
• persist    [⇒ thesaurus]
• proceed    [⇒ thesaurus]

Hyponyms

• arrest
• call it quits
• stem the tide
• stop short
• stop talking    [⇒ thesaurus]
• surrender    [⇒ thesaurus]
• quit    [⇒ thesaurus]
•   —
• call it a day (idiomatic)
• call it a night (idiomatic)
• draw stumps (idiomatic)
• pull up stumps (idiomatic)
•   —
• deactivate
• power down
• shut off
• switch off
• turn off

Hypernyms

• end    [⇒ thesaurus]

Various

• delay    [⇒ thesaurus]
• hang fire (figuratively)
• intermit
• interpel
• pause    [⇒ thesaurus]
• wait    [⇒ thesaurus]

See also

• Thesaurus:avast

Further reading

• “142. cessation” in Roget's Thesaurus, T. Y. Crowell Co., 1911.
• “desist” in Moby Thesaurus II, Grady Ward, 1996.