English Explanatory Dictionary

cease and desist

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To stop and not resume an action.
noun
  1. A written demand that a party stops and does not resume a certain behavior, such as copyright infringement, slander, or libel, threatening legal action if the recipient fails to do so.
  2. An order by a government agency, sanctioned by a court, that one must stop and not resume a certain (usually illegal) behavior.

Word forms

cease and desist ceases and desists ceasing and desisting ceased and desisted cease-and-desist

Etymology

From cease (“stop”), and desist (“to not do again”). The noun sense can be viewed synchronically as an ellipsis of cease-and-desist order.

Related words

C&D
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