All 4 Uses

cease
in
Flags of Our Fathers
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Is it possible they do not realize that we shall never cease to persevere against them until they have been taught a lesson which they and the world will never forget?†
Chpt 3. *

cease = stop or discontinue
His family would be dishonored, his name would be stricken from the village rolls, he would cease to exist, and his superiors would kill him if they got their hands on him.†
Chpt 3.
Some Marines hit by these rounds were not just killed; their bodies ceased to exist.†
Chpt 7.

ceased = stopped or discontinued
At the stroke of noon the music ceased, and the crowd hushed as three matronly women wearing dark orchids and dazed expressions were escorted to the platform.†
Chpt 16.

Definitions:

(1) (cease)
to stop or discontinue
(2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
Note that the expression, cease fire means to stop doing battle such as firing funs at each other. Similarly, the noun, cease-fire, is a state of having stopped doing battle.