The word "surcease" may be a noun or a verb. It is usually used as a noun, when used at all. It is not used in general speech and "feels" poetic when it is used. This word appears most often in classical literature. The word "cease" may only be a verb, with its noun being "cessation". If one of the two words is necessary as a verb, this is the one to choose. It has a legal "feel" to it. If it is not used in a legal sense, it will feel poetic, like "surcease". Here are some options for everyday use in speaking: (stop) "Please, stop bothering me." (quit) "Quit making all that noise!" (let up) "If the rain lets up, I'll go for a walk." (die down) "It took more than five full minutes for the applause to die down at the end of the play." (end) "Our vacation ended on Friday." (come to an end) "I was disappointed when the movie came to an end; I wanted it to go on!" (give up) "I gave up trying to solve the math puzzle." (close) "The famous play finally closed on Broadway, with no plans for a revival."

Hello Chris, They can be used interchangeably in most cases. verb 'to cease': to stop, to put an end to something *especially gradually*, to abandon , discontinue. to cease doing something = to stop doing it without ceasing = nonstop , without break "The factory ceased to produce this garment". verb 'to surcease': to bring or come to an end , to stop * specially temporarily* , to prevent the occurrence or continuation of anything. Also to interrupt or pause. "When it surceased to rain, they decided to go out."