quit

[kwit]

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verb (used with object), quit or quit·ted, quit·ting.

to stop, cease, or discontinue: She quit what she was doing to help me paint the house.

to depart from; leave (a place or person): They quit the city for the seashore every summer.

to give up or resign; let go; relinquish: 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), quit or quit·ted, quit·ting.

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

released from obligation, penalty, etc.; free, clear, or rid (usually followed by of): quit of all further responsibilities.

Nearby words

Origin of quit

1175–1225; (adj.) Middle English quit(te) exempt, freed, acquitted of (< Old French quite) < Medieval Latin quittus, by-form of quītus (≫ Middle English quit(e); see quite), for Latin quiētus quiet¹; (v.) Middle English quit(t)en to pay, acquit oneself < Old French quit(t)er < Medieval Latin quittāre, quiētāre to release, discharge, Late Latin quiētare to put to rest, quiet¹

SYNONYMS FOR quit

3. surrender, release. 12. acquitted, discharged.

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ANTONYMS FOR quit

1, 8. start. 2. enter.

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Related formsquit·ta·ble, adjectiveun·quit·ted, adjective

Can be confusedquiet quit quite

quit

[kwit]

noun

any of various small tropical birds.

Origin of quit

1845–50; orig. Jamaican English, of uncertain origin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for quit

Park employees helped John quit tobacco by way of a butts-proof glass enclosure, a drastic change in diet, and regular exercise.
Zebra Finches, Dolphins, Elephants, and More Animals Under the Influence|Bill Schulz|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But they had not quit and here they now were as the Emerald Society Pipes and Drums came into the Garden.
Cop Families Boo De Blasio at NYPD Graduation|Michael Daly|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On Tuesday, two senior Kremlin officials, Vladimir Avdeyenko and Boris Rapoport, quit their jobs.
Recession? Devaluation? Inflation? Putin Tells Russia Stay the Course.|Anna Nemtsova|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His breath became so strained that he was forced to quit his job as a horticulturalist for the parks department.
Before Eric Garner, There Was Michael Stewart: The Tragic Story of the Real-Life Radio Raheem|Marlow Stern|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Although she loved her job teaching five-year-olds, she recently quit.
From Church of Christ to Pansexual Rapper|Tyler Gillespie|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Countess Ammiani obtained her consent that she would not quit her side.
Vittoria, Complete|George Meredith
The Tarthan swordsman, well up on the principles of discretion, felt a sudden urge to be quit of this locality.
Quest of the Golden Ape|Ivar Jorgensen
The truly good must advise him or her either to keep quiet or to quit.
We Can't Have Everything|Rupert Hughes
I cannot desert my aunt, nor can I quit the Swash alone in company with her mate.
Jack Tier or The Florida Reef|James Fenimore Cooper
They are not allowed to quit the ground and climb the heights.
The Life of the Spider|J. Henri Fabre

British Dictionary definitions for quit

quit

verb quits or quitting or quitted or mainly US quit

(tr) to depart from; leavehe 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 themthey received notice to quit

to desist or cease from (something or doing something); break offquit laughing

(tr) to pay off (a debt); discharge or settle

(tr) archaic to conduct or acquit (oneself); comport (oneself)he quits himself with great dignity

adjective

(usually predicative foll by of) free (from); released (from)he was quit of all responsibility for their safety

Word Origin for quit

C13: from Old French quitter, from Latin quiētus quiet; see quietus

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for quit

quit

adj.

c.1200, "free, clear" (of debt, etc.), from Old French quite, quitte "free, clear, entire, at liberty; discharged; unmarried," from Medieval Latin quitus, quittus, from Latin quietus "free" (in Medieval Latin "free from war, debts, etc."), also "calm, resting" (see quiet (adj.)).

quit

c.1200, "to repay, discharge" (a debt, etc.), from Old French quiter "clear, establish one's innocence;" also transitive, "release, let go, relinquish, abandon" (12c.), from quite (see quit (adj.)).

Meaning "to reward, give reward" is mid-13c., that of "take revenge; to answer, retort" and "to acquit oneself" are late 14c. From c.1300 as "to acquit (of a charge), declare not guilty." Sense of "leave, depart" is attested from c.1400; that of "stop" (doing something) is from 1640s. Meaning "to give up, relinquish" is from mid-15c. Related: Quitted; quitting. Quitting time is from 1835.

Idioms and Phrases with quit

quit

In addition to the idiom beginning with quit

quite a bit
quit while one's ahead

also see:

call it quits

quit

verb (used with object), quit or quit·ted, quit·ting.

verb (used without object), quit or quit·ted, quit·ting.

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of quit

quit

noun

Origin of quit

Examples from the Web for quit

quit

verb quits or quitting or quitted or mainly US quit

adjective

Word Origin for quit

quit

quit

quit