quit
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
to stop, cease, or discontinue.
She quit what she was doing to help me paint the house.
- Antonyms:
- start
-
to depart from; leave (a place or person).
They quit the city for the seashore every summer.
- Antonyms:
- enter
-
to give up or resign; let go; relinquish: She quit her job.
He quit his claim to the throne.
She quit her job.
-
to release one's hold of (something grasped).
-
to acquit or conduct (oneself).
-
to free or rid (oneself): to quit oneself of doubts.
-
to clear (a debt); repay.
verb (used without object)
-
to cease from doing something; stop.
-
to give up or resign one's job or position.
He keeps threatening to quit.
-
to depart or leave.
-
to stop trying, struggling, or the like; accept or acknowledge defeat.
adjective
noun
verb
-
(tr) to depart from; leave
he quitted the place hastily
-
to resign; give up (a job)
he quitted his job today
-
(intr) (of a tenant) to give up occupancy of premises and leave them
they received notice to quit
-
to desist or cease from (something or doing something); break off
quit laughing
-
(tr) to pay off (a debt); discharge or settle
-
archaic (tr) to conduct or acquit (oneself); comport (oneself)
he quits himself with great dignity
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
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; ” see also quite ( def. )
Origin of quit2
First recorded in 1845–50; originally Jamaican English, of uncertain origin
Explanation
To quit means to stop doing something. You might quit a lousy job or quit eating dessert. The verb quit can also mean to leave a place or depart from a location. This meaning isn't used as frequently in conversation now as it used to be, but you can still use it to mean leaving somewhere. For example, if you choose to move from sunny California to Maine because you think you'll like the seasons better, you could say you plan to quit California for a colder climate.
Vocabulary lists containing quit
Scrabble: Words that Begin with Q
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Workshop 3, Part 1
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The Search Is Over: Synonyms for "Stop"
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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.
See Examples For:
“I mean, there’s no quit, there’s no surrender,” Harbaugh said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
Party leader Robinson said last week that he was "sorry" to see Lockhart quit the DUP's officer board but added that she remained "a key part of our team".
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
To put the matter bluntly: A short time into the greatest leadership challenge of Ms. Acton’s career, she quit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
“That has now proliferated into a myth that won’t quit, yet it isn’t actually helpful in today’s algorithms, as airlines price in real-time based on inventory.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
I would quit afterward and find another position at Ville de Paris or Broadway’s or one of the other department stores.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
It’s also interesting since a source alerted me to the fact that Rocket’s first commit happened just after Sequoia quitted of their CoreOS shares and board seat.
From Forbes ● Dec. 3, 2014
Within a few hours, practically all the delegates had quitted the capital of the Commonwealth.
From Time Magazine Archive
Then, with his handsome features wreathed in the smile of one handsomely forgiven, he quitted the Vatican, was smartly saluted by the Papal Guard.
From Time Magazine Archive
The Dictator thanked the King for attending the opening so soon after his arrival from a visit to Morocco, and immediately quitted the building.
From Time Magazine Archive
She was unusually pale and very quiet She stood on the front veranda as he quitted the house, and absendy picked a few sprays of jessamine that grew upon a trellis near by.
From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
Some tech employees have made so much money from the AI boom that they’re quitting their jobs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
Speaking at the end of a regular ECB monetary policy press conference Thursday, Lagarde said she was quitting so that she could intervene in politics.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
Job quitting sank to an 11-year low in 2025, government data show.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
Alison Green, the advice maven behind Ask a Manager, explores what makes some employees so resistant to quitting a toxic job.
From Slate ● Oct. 26, 2026
The 3:30 quitting time turns out to be a myth; often we don’t return to the office until 4:30 or 5:00.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
