Jump To:

• 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.

---

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.

---

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

---

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

---

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

See Examples For:

exit Exit exits

That means roughly 186,000 ARMs next year will exit the fixed introductory period.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

But the EU chief's motorcade was escorted under heavy police presence through a different exit.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

Earlier, as von der Leyen arrived, local broadcasters showed footage of a small group of protesters attempting to block her exit from the airport with a truck and a tanker.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

Littler, 19, had been looking to bounce back from his quarter-final exit to Jonny Clayton at the World Series of Darts Finals just over a week ago.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

Each time, Howie Hubler, or one of his traders, argued about the price, and declined to exit.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Her latest sci-fi book, Exit Party, is no exception.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

The first pours of Cup of Ambition will be served at Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop, a new travel center opening June 24 off Exit 22 on Interstate 65 south of Nashville.

From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026

Exit polls by Ipsos and Datum showed Roberto Sanchez, Ricardo Belmont, Rafael Lopez Aliaga and Jorge Nieto separated by only a few points in the race for second place.

From Barron's ● Apr. 13, 2026

The 2010 documentary film Exit Through The Gift Shop - showing Banksy at work - was nominated for an Oscar and a Bafta.

From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026

It was bigger and said Exit on it.

From "A Monster of a Mystery (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #5)" by Franklin W. Dixon

And if he can’t beat a not-great Ducks team — without its starting quarterback — how can he rally a fan base that’s several exits past disillusioned and fast approaching disgusted?

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

Villa's rebuild, the club committing to spending more than £250m was out of necessity because of their own high-profile exits.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

But some are still hedging their bets rather than rushing for the exits.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026

Higher interest rates threaten to prolong private equity’s record $349 billion backlog of “zombie funds,” making exits harder, squeezing fee income and potentially forcing some firms to shrink.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

The birds erupted into a feathery whirlwind, cawing and chirping as they fled toward all exits.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

Related Words

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