How to pronounce cease
Say it like SEES. Cease is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce cease. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SEES
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Cease pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SEESSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of cease
American and British speakers say cease in essentially the same way: /sis/ in the US and /siːs/ in the UK.
British respelling: SEES.
What does cease mean?
- put an end to a state or an activity“Quit teasing your little brother”
- have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical“the bronchioles terminate in a capillary bed”“Your rights stop where you infringe upon the rights of other”
- (cease is a noun only in the phrase without cease) end
Where does cease come from?
From Middle English cesen, cessen, from Middle French cesser (“to cease”), from Latin cessō (“leave off”), frequentative of cēdō (“to leave off, go away”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with cease
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of cease.
Questions about saying cease
How do you pronounce cease?
Say SEES. The American pronunciation is /sis/. In British English it is /siːs/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in cease?
Cease is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SEES.
Do Americans and Brits say cease the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /sis/ and the British form is /siːs/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.