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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

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

Another viral videogame, “The Exit 8,” in which the player is trapped in a monotonous Japanese subway station, was recently adapted into a feature film released by Neon this year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 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

UK passport holders travelling to Europe are being warned of potential delays caused by the continued rollout of the European Entry Exit System, the EU's new digital border system.

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026

“It’s Exit 81, in Auburn Hills, just before you get to Detroit, actually.”

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

Related Words

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