Basic Details
Word: Desist
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: To stop doing something; a formal word, often used in official notices.
Synonyms: stop, cease, refrain, quit
Antonyms: continue, persist
How to Spell Desist
Syllables: de - sist
Tricky part: There are two s's, one in each half, and neither is doubled, even though the first one sounds like z. Students double one (dessist) or use c (decist).
Watch out for: dessist, decist, desiste
Memory tip: Desist ends in sist like insist, resist and persist. You can insist that someone desist.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The court ordered the factory to desist from dumping waste into the river.
Example 2: The notice asked visitors to desist from feeding the monkeys.
Example 3: He would not desist until everyone had heard his story.
Fun Fact
A cease-and-desist letter is a formal demand, often sent by lawyers, asking someone to stop an activity such as copying another company's design.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word desist as used in the sentence:
The traffic police asked the drivers to desist from honking near the school.
a) continue
b) stop
c) cease
d) quit
Show answer
a) continue. To continue is to keep going, the opposite of stopping.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
de_i_t
a) s, c
b) s, s
c) z, s
d) c, s
Show answer
b) s, s. Both gaps take s, the same sist ending as resist.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. resumme 2. desist 3. persevear 4. comense
a) to begin
b) to stop doing something
c) to start again after a pause
d) to keep trying in spite of difficulty
Show answer
b) to stop doing something. Persevere ends in vere, commence has two m's and a c, and resume has one m.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A notice asking people to desist from shouting wants them to ____.
a) sing instead
b) shout in turns
c) stop shouting
d) shout louder
Show answer
c) stop shouting
2. The most formal way to tell someone to stop is ____.
a) Quit it.
b) Cut it out.
c) Kindly desist.
d) Knock it off.
Show answer
c) Kindly desist.
