Cool MateCease vs Get your hands down
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
Cease
FormalBeyond 10,000 (less common)C1verb
Get your hands down
InformalTop 2,000 (common)
Most formal: CeaseMost common: Get your hands down
| Cease | Get your hands down | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 //siːz//🇺🇸 //siːs// | 🇬🇧 //ɡɛt jɔː hændz daʊn//🇺🇸 //ɡɛt jɔʊr hændz daʊn// |
| Meaning | to stop doing something | Stop doing something that is inappropriate or unwanted. |
| Example | The company decided to cease all operations due to financial difficulties. | When the teacher entered the room, she said, 'Get your hands down!' |
| Register | Formal | Informal |
| How common | Beyond 10,000 (less common) | Top 2,000 (common) |
| CEFR level | C1 | - |
| Part of speech | verb | |
| Collocations | cease fire, cease operations, cease activities | get hands down, get your hands off, get hands away, get hands to yourself |
| Antonyms | begin, continue, start | - |
| Common mistakes | Confused with 'seize' (to grab)., Using 'cease' as a noun rather than a verb., Incorrectly conjugating 'cease' in the past tense. | Used in formal situations where a softer phrase is more appropriate., Confused with 'put your hands down', which is more about lowering hands than stopping behavior., Overused in everyday conversations, making it sound excessive. |
| Usage notes | Often used in formal contexts or legal language. Not commonly used in everyday conversation. | Often used in informal situations to tell someone to stop touching or playing with something. Typically, it's used to express disapproval of someone's actions. |
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Frequently asked questions: Cease vs Get your hands down
What's the difference between Cease and Get your hands down?
Cease: to stop doing something Get your hands down: Stop doing something that is inappropriate or unwanted.
Which is more formal: Cease and Get your hands down?
Cease is the most formal of these.
Which is more common: Cease and Get your hands down?
Get your hands down is the most common in everyday English.
Can you show an example of each?
Cease: The company decided to cease all operations due to financial difficulties. Get your hands down: When the teacher entered the room, she said, 'Get your hands down!'
Can I use Cease and Get your hands down interchangeably?
Not always. Cease and Get your hands down are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.