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• exit
  exit

  noun

  a way or passage out.
• Exit
  Exit

  noun

  (in Britain) a society that seeks to promote the legitimization of voluntary euthanasia

exit

¹ American  

[eg-zit, ek-sit] / ˈɛg zɪt, ˈɛk sɪt /

noun

exits plural

1. a way or passage out.

   Please leave the theater by the nearest exit.

2. any of the marked ramps or spurs providing egress from a highway.

   Take the second exit after the bridge for the downtown shopping district.

3. a going out or away; departure.

   to make one's exit.

4. a departure of an actor from the stage as part of the action of a play.

5. Also called exit card.  Bridge. a card that enables a player to relinquish the lead when having it is a disadvantage.

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verb (used without object)

1. to go out; leave.

2. Bridge. to play an exit card.

verb (used with object)

1. to leave; depart from.

   Sign out before you exit the building.

exit ² American  

[eg-zit, ek-sit] / ˈɛg zɪt, ˈɛk sɪt /

verb (used without object)

1. (a person) goes offstage (used as a stage direction, often preceding the name of the character).

   Exit Falstaff.

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exit ¹ British  

/ ˈɛɡzɪt, ˈɛksɪt /

noun

1. a way out; door or gate by which people may leave

2. the act or an instance of going out; departure

3. 1. the act of leaving or right to leave a particular place

   2. ( as modifier )

      an exit visa

4. departure from life; death

5. theatre the act of going offstage

6. (in Britain) a point at which vehicles may leave or join a motorway

7. bridge

   1. the act of losing the lead deliberately

   2. a card enabling one to do this

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verb

1. to go away or out; depart; leave

2. theatre to go offstage: used as a stage direction

   exit Hamlet

3. bridge to lose the lead deliberately

4. (sometimes tr) computing to leave (a computer program or system)

Exit ² British  

/ ˈɛɡzɪt, ˈɛksɪt /

noun

1. (in Britain) a society that seeks to promote the legitimization of voluntary euthanasia

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• exits
  plural

Etymology

Origin of exit¹

First recorded in 1560–70; partly from Latin exitus “act of going out, departure,” noun derivative of exīre “to go out”; partly noun and verb use of exit ²

Origin of exit²

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin exit; literally, “(he/she) goes out,” 3rd-person singular present of exīre; see exit ¹

Explanation

To exit is to go out of or leave a place. When an actor exits, he moves off the stage and out of sight of the audience. You can literally exit a room or a building, or exit in a more figurative way: "She decided to exit politics after two terms as Senator." The door or passage through which you exit can also be called an exit, like the emergency exit on a train or airplane. The stage direction, as in "exit, stage left," is the original English use of the word, from the Latin exitus, "a leaving, a going out."

Example Sentences

"They told me that he was going to present the trophy and then exit the stage and I thought that he was going to exit the stage, but he wanted to stay," said James.

From BBC • Jun. 23, 2026

When the job market shuts them out, many are forced to permanently exit the workforce and prematurely tap into Social Security, or drain the nest eggs they explicitly saved for their 70s and 80s.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 19, 2026

“A flurry of tankers have taken the chance to exit the gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran loosens its grip on the key waterway under conditions stipulated under the agreement,” the analysts add.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026

Belgium’s aging golden generation of Romelu Lukaku, Kevin DeBruyne, Thibaut Courtois, Thomas Meunier and Axel Witsel are going to need to do much better if they hope to avoid another early World Cup exit.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2026

“Mal. Christopher. Irian. There’s an exit at the back, onto the side street. Come. Now.”

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

Related Words

• demise
• departure
• evacuation
• exodus
• farewell
• retirement
• retreat
• withdrawal