cease and end share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. cease means “put an end to a state or an activity”. end means “either extremity of something that has length”. end is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈsis/
1.v.put an end to a state or an activity
“Quit teasing your little brother”
2.v.have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical
“the bronchioles terminate in a capillary bed”
3.n.(`cease' is a noun only in the phrase `without cease') end
/ˈɛnd/
1.n.either extremity of something that has length
“the end of the pier”
2.n.the point in time at which something ends
“the end of the year”
3.n.the final stage or concluding parts of an event or occurrence
“the end was exciting”
| cease | end | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈsis/ | /ˈɛnd/ |
| Said | sees | end |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 5 | 3 |
| Parts of speech | verb, noun | noun, verb |
| Senses | 3 | 18 |
| How common | Common | Core |
| Synonyms | discontinue, stop, give up | terminal |
Full entry for cease · Full entry for end · More comparisons