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:
Most are clear-eyed about the odds, and none of them are planning to quit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
Puente quit Tuesday saying he felt he could not continue after the second major train crash in less than a year, following one in January which claimed 46 lives.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
The 59-year-old previously said he quit as science minister in 2023 because he could not afford rising mortgage repayments on a ministerial salary of nearly £120,000.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
Her commitment to finishing the job has been in question for more than a year, fueled in part by her own acknowledgments that she could quit early.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Holding his breath, he quit kicking, reached down, and tried to untie one shoe.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
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
He quitted war invincible: and no sooner was his guiding hand withdrawn than disaster overtook the armies he had led.
From Time Magazine Archive
The court did rule that any such ac quitted defendants could be kept in custody until the hearing, since there is sufficient reason to suspect that they might be a danger to the community.
From Time Magazine Archive
In a ludicrous trial, Kit is ac quitted to the great discomfiture of ogreish District Attorney Sprinkle Kit's companions in theft get a pardon from the governor.
From Time Magazine Archive
He being settled and falling swiftly into a shivering sleep, I quitted the chamber and repaired downstairs.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Fewer people are quitting or leaving their jobs and finding better ones.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
Some tech employees have made so much money from the AI boom that they’re quitting their jobs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
Speaking at the end of a regular ECB monetary policy press conference Thursday, Lagarde said she was quitting so that she could intervene in politics.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
Alison Green, the advice maven behind Ask a Manager, explores what makes some employees so resistant to quitting a toxic job.
From Slate ● Oct. 26, 2026
“In marrying your nephew, I should not consider myself as quitting that sphere. He is a gentleman; I am a gentleman’s daughter; so far we are equal.”
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
