discontinuance

noun

1
: the act or an instance of discontinuing
2
: the interruption or termination of a legal action by the plaintiff's not continuing it

Examples of discontinuance in a Sentence

the possible discontinuance of one of the town's big holiday traditions
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The court document explains that Drake met with representatives on Tuesday and Spotify, which had filed an opposition, had no objection to the withdrawal and discontinuance, while UMG, which hadn’t filed an opposition, reserved its position. Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 15 Jan. 2025 Big Think shall not be liable to you or to any third party for any modification, suspension or discontinuance of the Services. Big Think, 10 June 2020

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of discontinuance was in the 14th century

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Cite this Entry

“Discontinuance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discontinuance. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.

Legal Definition

discontinuance

noun
1
: the usually voluntary termination of an action by a plaintiff by motion or by failure to pursue the claim
2
: the abandonment of a property or of a particular use of the property under the zoning laws
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