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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

See Examples For:

exit Exit exits

But there’s been no word about Serena’s singles availability after her one-and-done exit at Wimbledon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

They won their first match, but had to exit after Mboko suffered a knee injury.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

In a new geopolitical reality, where the objective is not restoring financial stability but rather economic security and resilient supply chains, what is the U.S. government’s exit strategy?

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

The bite, it turns out, was less a culmination than an exit cue.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026

We've scheduled your exit meeting for next week.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

Exit polling found that Republican Sen. Ted Cruz beat Democrat Colin Allred by 18 percentage points among non-college-educated Texans in 2024.

From Salon ● Jul. 29, 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

Appeared in the March 31, 2026, print edition as 'Trump Looks to Exit With Strait Still Closed'.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026

Exit this position now, since it has been held for more than 22 trading days.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 26, 2026

Kyle could see a red Exit light glowing at the far end of the hallway Charles and Yasmeen were sprinting down.

From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein

The exits sparked a wave of protests from viewers and celebrities, including Suzanne Somers, Piers Morgan and Simon Cowell of “American Idol.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

It might not strike you as particularly surprising that the market timers so quickly ran for the exits in the face of the market’s drop.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026

Most of Uminer’s books were shelved and weren’t impeding entrances and exits.

From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026

She reunited with her original group near the exits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

He glanced left and right, contemplating the corridor exits.

From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart

Related Words

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