(`cease' is a noun only in the phrase `without cease') end
STOP
have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical;
FINISH
the act of finishing; "his best finish in a major tournament was third"; "the speaker's finishing was greeted with applause"
a decorative texture or appearance of a surface (or the substance that gives it that appearance); "the boat had a metallic finish"; "he applied a coat of a clear finish"; "when the finish is too thin it is difficult to apply evenly"
(wine tasting) the taste of a wine on the back of the tongue (as it is swallowed); "the wine has a nutty flavor and a pleasant finish"
event whose occurrence ends something; "his death marked the ending of an era"; "when these final episodes are broadcast it will be the finish of the show"
the downfall of someone (as of persons on one side of a conflict); "booze will be the finish of him"; "it was a fight to the finish"
designated event that concludes a contest (especially a race); "excitement grew as the finish neared"; "my horse was several lengths behind at the finish"; "the winner
LAPSE
go back to bad behavior; "Those who recidivate are often minor criminals"
drop to a lower level, as in one's morals or standards
end, at least for a long time; "The correspondence lapsed"
pass into a specified state or condition; "He sank into nirvana"
pass by; "three years elapsed"
a failure to maintain a higher state
let slip; "He lapsed his membership"
a mistake resulting from inattention
a break or intermission in the occurrence of something; "a lapse of three weeks between letters"
STOP
a spot where something halts or pauses;
the state of inactivity following an interruption;
have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical;
a brief stay in the course of a journey;
the act of stopping something;
an obstruction in a pipe or tube;
a restraint that checks the motion of something;
a mechanical device in a camera that controls size of aperture of the lens;
(music) a knob on an organ that is pulled to change the sound quality from the organ pipes;
a punctuation mark (.) placed at the end of a declarative sentence to indicate a full stop or after abbreviations;
a consonant produced by stopping the flow of air at some point and suddenly releasing it;
the event of something ending;
stop and wait, as if awaiting further instructions or developments;