cease
To stop happening or stop doing something.
cease in a sentence
- At last the rain ceased, and a rainbow arched over the wet rooftops.
- The referee blew his whistle three times and ordered play to cease at once.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to cease?
- Astart
- Bbegin
- Ccontinue
- Dstop
Show the answer
D: stop. The other three mean the opposite of cease.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to cease?
- Astart
- Bend
- Cfinish
- Dstop
Show the answer
A: start. The other three mean nearly the same as cease.
Words that mean something similar
stop, end, finish
Words that mean the opposite
start, begin, continue
More words about time & change
- commence: To begin or start.
- conclude: To bring something to an end, or to decide something after thinking about it.
- constant: Happening all the time without stopping, or staying the same.
- contemporary: Belonging to the present time; modern.
- convert: To change something into something else.
- corrode: To slowly eat away at metal or other material.
- customary: Done as a habit or tradition; usual.
- disastrous: Causing great damage, trouble or failure.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test