desist

3 definitions found

desist - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Desist \De*sist"\ (?; 277), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Desisted; p.
     pr. & vb. n. Desisting.] [L. desistere; de- + sistere to
     stand, stop, fr. stare to stand: cf. F. d['e]sister. See
     Stand.]
     To cease to proceed or act; to stop; to forbear; -- often
     with from.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           Never desisting to do evil.              --E. Hall.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           To desist from his bad practice.         --Massinger.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           Desist (thou art discern'd,
           And toil'st in vain).                    --Milton.
     [1913 Webster]

desist - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  desist
      v 1: choose not to consume; "I abstain from alcohol" [syn:
           abstain, refrain, desist] [ant: consume, have,
           ingest, take, take in]

desist - Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 :

  49 Moby Thesaurus words for "desist":
     abandon, abdicate, abjure, abort, acknowledge defeat, belay,
     cancel, cease, cede, come off, cry quits, cut it out, cut out,
     desist from, discontinue, disuse, drop, drop it, end, forgo,
     forswear, give, give over, give up, halt, hand over,
     have done with, hold, knock it off, lay down, lay off, leave off,
     let go, nol-pros, not pursue with, put behind one, quit, refrain,
     relinquish, renounce, resign, scrub, stay, stop, surrender,
     terminate, throw up, waive, yield