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:
They agreed, Freddie remembers, that if he didn’t make it to the big leagues in four years, he’d quit to follow the original plan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
As I’m sure you know, a lot of people have quit.
From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026
When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex quit working for the Royal Family in 2020 and moved to California, they brought something even Hollywood can't manufacture: royalty.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
The couple, who had quit royal duties and moved to the U.S., are set to move back later this month, according to people familiar with the matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
“And I think we’d better keep this monkey business to ourselves. If word gets out, every farmer in these hills will quit farming and start hunting monkeys. We can’t have that at all.”
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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
There is a strongly private, autobiographical element in Hodgkin's work; it refers to friendships one does not know about, to conversations in rooms long since quitted.
From Time Magazine Archive
He quitted war invincible: and no sooner was his guiding hand withdrawn than disaster overtook the armies he had led.
From Time Magazine Archive
Before Secretary Mellon and Senator Smoot quitted their sturdy porch chairs the irreducible terms to be granted Belgium had been fixed, the all-important interest rate of the Belgian moratorium was settled.
From Time Magazine Archive
When the gloves were bought, and they had quitted the shop again, “Did you ever hear the young lady we were speaking of, play?” said Frank Churchill.
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
At the time, she told the BBC she did not view quitting acting as giving anything up, but rather as "a new chapter".
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
People with dementia and Alzheimer’s diagnoses and their caregivers also must weigh other big milestones such as stopping driving, quitting a job or handing over management of household finances, Tan said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
Many who crossed did so after abruptly quitting their jobs as waiters, labourers or fishermen.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
“Every CEO that I talk to is considering quitting and starting again,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
The quick commute was one of the small graces they could appreciate, as it gave them just that little bit of extra time after the quitting horn sounded.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
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.
