DISCONTINUE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does discontinue mean? 

• DISCONTINUE (verb)
  The verb DISCONTINUE has 3 senses:

1. put an end to a state or an activity

2. come to or be at an end

3. prevent completion

  Familiarity information: DISCONTINUE used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DISCONTINUE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they discontinue    ... he / she / it discontinues   
Past simple: discontinued   
Past participle: discontinued   
-ing form: discontinuing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Put an end to a state or an activity

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

cease; discontinue; give up; lay off; quit; stop

Context example:

Quit teasing your little brother

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "discontinue"):

drop; knock off (stop pursuing or acting)

leave off (stop using)

sign off (cease broadcasting; get off the air; as of radio stations)

retire; withdraw (withdraw from active participation)

pull the plug (prevent from happening or continuing)

close off; shut off (stem the flow of)

cheese (used in the imperative (get away, or stop it))

call it a day; call it quits (stop doing what one is doing)

break (give up)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s VERB-ing

Antonym:

continue (keep or maintain in unaltered condition; cause to remain or last)

Derivation:

discontinuance; discontinuation (the act of discontinuing or breaking off; an interruption (temporary or permanent))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Come to or be at an end

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Context example:

the support from our sponsoring agency will discontinue after March 31

Hypernyms (to "discontinue" is one way to...):

cease; end; finish; stop; terminate (have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "discontinue"):

fizzle; fizzle out; peter out; taper off (end weakly)

leave off (come to an end, stop or cease)

expire; run out (lose validity)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Antonym:

continue (continue a certain state, condition, or activity)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Prevent completion

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

break; break off; discontinue; stop

Context example:

break off the negotiations

Hypernyms (to "discontinue" is one way to...):

end; terminate (bring to an end or halt)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "discontinue"):

fracture (become fractured)

bog; bog down (get stuck while doing something)

break up; cut off; disrupt; interrupt (make a break in)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

discontinuation (the act of discontinuing or breaking off; an interruption (temporary or permanent))

 Context examples 

When the subjects discontinued their red meat diet and moved to either a white meat or non-meat diet for another month, their TMAO levels decreased significantly.

(Study links frequent red meat consumption to high levels of chemical associated with heart disease, National Institutes of Health)

A chemotherapy regimen may have been discontinued for any reason (e.g. completion of therapy, toxicity, disease progression).

(Number of Prior Chemotherapies, NCI Thesaurus)

In Phase II trials canosimibe reduced LDL cholesterol levels, but it did not demonstrate the desired efficacy in a Phase III study, and was discontinued.

(Canosimibe, NCI Thesaurus)

The status of the subject's completion of the study or a segment of the study, or the reason the subject discontinued the study or segment of the study.

(CDISC SDTM Reason for Non-Completion Terminology, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

It was discontinued in favor of newer antifungals with fewer side effects.

(Haloprogin, NCI Thesaurus)

It is a pity, cried Fanny, that the custom should have been discontinued.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

But, finding me well employed, and bearing a good character, and hearing on all hands that I rose fast in the school, she soon discontinued these visits.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

“Those who are showing a preference for fresh red cells might consider discontinuing this practice unless there are extenuating circumstances.”

(Fresh red blood cell transfusions do not help critically ill children more than older cells, National Institutes of Health)

Procedure discontinued due to patient allergy to media/contrast (reported or reaction).

(Patient Allergic to Contrast Media, NCI Thesaurus/DICOM)

A discontinued (U.S.) brand name combination product containing Prochlorperazine Maleate and Isopropamide Iodide that was used as an antiemetic agent.

(Combid, NCI Thesaurus)