desist C2+ Topic:People & Society US /dɪˈsɪst/ UK /dɪˈzɪst/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 verb to cease or stop doing something The court ordered the company to desist from misleading advertising. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to cease or stop doing... ceasestophaltquitrefrainabstainforbear ↔ Opposites continuepersistproceedresume Word family Derived forms desistancedesistment Related forms resistinsistconsistassist Etymology AI details From Old French desister, from Latin desistere ('to leave off, stand away'), from de- ('away') + sistere ('to stand, stop'). desistere Latin sistere Latin *steh₂- Proto-Indo-European View etymology graph -> Topics People & Society Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # desist **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /dɪˈsɪst/ **IPA (UK):** /dɪˈzɪst/ ## Meanings 1. to cease or stop doing something ## Examples - The court ordered the company to desist from misleading advertising. ## Synonyms - cease - stop - halt - quit - refrain - abstain - forbear ## Antonyms - continue - persist - proceed - resume ## Derived Forms - desistance - desistment ## Related Forms - resist - insist - consist - assist ## Roots and Affixes - Root: desistere - Root: sistere - Root: *steh₂- ## Etymology From Old French desister, from Latin desistere ('to leave off, stand away'), from de- ('away') + sistere ('to stand, stop'). ## AI Etymology Desist is from Old French desister, from Latin desistere ('to leave off, stand away'), from de- ('away') + sistere ('to stand, stop'). In present-day use, it means to cease or stop doing something. Derived formations include desistance and desistment. Related vocabulary includes resist, insist, consist, and assist. ## Topics - People & Society - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown