quits
Americanadjective
idioms
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call it quits,
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to end one's activity, especially temporarily.
At 10 o'clock I decided to call it quits for the day.
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to abandon an effort.
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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.
adjective
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on an equal footing; even
now we are quits
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to agree to end a dispute, contest, etc, agreeing that honours are even
interjection
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The comedy power couple are calling it quits after 18 years of marriage, according to TMZ.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
"Clacton MP quits... to stand as Clacton MP," the Metro splashes, "amid row over ties to high roller Posh George" - a reference to Farage ally George Cottrell.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Roughly 2½ years later, both sides called it quits after the deal failed to perform up to expectations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
In other cases, it has allowed workers to have a more secure retirement when they do call it quits.
From Barron's ● Jun. 13, 2026
He quits or gets fired because his head hurts or he has an attack where he can’t breathe.
From "Towers Falling" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
