noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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US:/sɛˈseɪʃən/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -eɪʃən
CMU ARPABET:S EH2 S EY1 SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A ceasing or discontinuance, for example of an action, whether temporary or final.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, formal, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
a stopping
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
a cessation of the thunder
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: surcease
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: stop, halt
Narrower terms: legal separation, separation
History
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French cessation, itself a borrowing from Latin cessātiō. By surface analysis, cease + -ation. Compare cession < cede.
Across languages
Translations
41 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
وَقْف
(waqf)
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Belarusian:
спыне́нне
(spynjénnje)
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Bulgarian:
прекратя́ване
(prekratjávane)
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Bulgarian:
спи́ране
(spírane)
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Bulgarian:
прекраще́ние
(prekrašténie)
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Catalan:
cessació
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Chinese Mandarin:
停止
(tíngzhǐ)
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Chinese Mandarin:
中止
(zhōngzhǐ)
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Czech:
zastavení
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Dutch:
beëindiging
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Finnish:
lakkaaminen
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Finnish:
lopettaminen
— a ceasing or discontinuance
French:
cessation
— a ceasing or discontinuance
German:
Unterbrechung
— a ceasing or discontinuance
German:
Einstellung
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Greek:
κατάπαυση
(katápafsi)
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Greek:
αναστολή
(anastolí)
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Greek:
διακοπή
(diakopí)
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Hindi:
विरति
(virti)
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Irish:
faill
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Italian:
cessazione
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Japanese:
停止
(teishi)
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Japanese:
中止
(chūshi)
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Korean:
정지
(jeongji)
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Korean:
중지
(jungji)
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Macedonian:
престанок
(prestanok)
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Māori:
pārirātanga
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Polish:
zaprzestanie
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Russian:
прекраще́ние
(prekraščénije)
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Sanskrit:
उपरम
(uparama)
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Serbo-Croatian:
прѐстанак
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Serbo-Croatian:
prèstanak
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Slovak:
zastavenie
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Slovene:
prenehanje
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Slovene:
ustavitev
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Spanish:
cese
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Spanish:
cesación
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Spanish:
cesamiento
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Telugu:
ముగింపు
(mugimpu)
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Tocharian B:
āralñe
— a ceasing or discontinuance
Ukrainian:
припи́нення
(prypýnennja)
— a ceasing or discontinuance
