quits

American  

[kwits] / kwɪts /

adjective

1. on equal terms by repayment or retaliation.

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idioms

1. call it quits,

   1. to end one's activity, especially temporarily.

      At 10 o'clock I decided to call it quits for the day.

   2. to abandon an effort.

2. cry quits, to agree to end competition and consider both sides equal.

   It became too dark to continue play and they decided to cry quits.

quits British  

/ kwɪts /

adjective

1. on an equal footing; even

   now we are quits

2. to agree to end a dispute, contest, etc, agreeing that honours are even

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interjection

1. an exclamation indicating willingness to give up

Usage

What else does quits mean? If someone quits or calls it quits, they abruptly leave or give up on something, especially leaving a job, relationship, or game.

Etymology

Origin of quits

1470–80; perhaps < Medieval Latin quittus quit ¹

Example Sentences

Appeared in the January 21, 2026, print edition as 'Trump Ally Halligan Quits DOJ Position'.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 21, 2026

On her release, six years later, a Chicago Tribune headline read: “Tokyo Rose Quits Jail, Shows No Repentance.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2025

Calling It Quits is a series about the current culture of quitting.

From New York Times • Jan. 16, 2023

Quits are seen as a sign of labor market strength, evidence that people either have a more attractive option in front of them or are confident of finding one.

From Reuters • Nov. 1, 2022

Quits Warsaw this day; gets covert in Dantzig.

From History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 09 by Carlyle, Thomas