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Synonyms

quit

1 American  
[kwit] / kwɪt /

noun

  1. any of various small tropical birds.

quit 2 American  
[kwit] / kwɪt /

verb (used with object)

quit, quitted, quitting

  1. to stop, cease, or discontinue.

    She quit what she was doing to help me paint the house.
    Antonyms:
    start

  2. to depart from; leave (a place or person).

    They quit the city for the seashore every summer.
    Antonyms:
    enter

  3. to give up or resign; let go; relinquish: She quit her job.

    He quit his claim to the throne.

    She quit her job.
    Synonyms:
    release , vacate

  4. to release one's hold of (something grasped).

  5. to acquit or conduct (oneself).

  6. to free or rid (oneself): to quit oneself of doubts.

  7. to clear (a debt); repay.

verb (used without object)

quit, quitted, quitting

  1. to cease from doing something; stop.

  2. to give up or resign one's job or position.

    He keeps threatening to quit.

  3. to depart or leave.

  4. to stop trying, struggling, or the like; accept or acknowledge defeat.

adjective

  1. released from obligation, penalty, etc.; free, clear, or rid (usually followed byof ).

    quit of all further responsibilities.
quit British  
/ kwɪt /

verb

  1. (tr) to depart from; leave

    he quitted the place hastily

  2. to resign; give up (a job)

    he quitted his job today

  3. (intr) (of a tenant) to give up occupancy of premises and leave them

    they received notice to quit

  4. to desist or cease from (something or doing something); break off

    quit laughing

  5. (tr) to pay off (a debt); discharge or settle

  6. archaic  (tr) to conduct or acquit (oneself); comport (oneself)

    he quits himself with great dignity
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. free (from); released (from)

    he was quit of all responsibility for their safety
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
quit Idioms  

    More idioms and phrases containing quit

Other Word Forms

  • quittable adjective
  • unquitted adjective

Etymology

Origin of quit1

First recorded in 1845–50; originally Jamaican English, of uncertain origin

Origin of quit1

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English verb qui(t)ten “to pay, acquit oneself,” from Old French quit(t)er, from Medieval Latin quittāre, quiētāre “to release, discharge,” Late Latin quiētare “to put to rest, quiet; ” quite ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I’ve been doing daily art journalism for 45 years — 36 of them at The Times, with 2,195 bylines — so I’m about to find out whether this quitting will also be hellish.

From Los Angeles Times

The trial involving Siddiq - who quit as a Treasury minister in January over controversy around her ties to her aunt - has been playing out in Dhaka since August.

From BBC

But he says the water cannon vehicles were nevertheless loaded with it - and that this remained the case at least up until 2022, when he quit his job and left the country.

From BBC

Workers quit in record numbers, seeking better pay and work-life balance.

From The Wall Street Journal

Two of the four independent MPs who initially signed up later quit over the divisions, which have included a row over a botched membership launch and threats of legal action.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.