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:
So when her mother broke her hip five years ago, Boonma quit her local-government job to care for her.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
A week before her son died Park Mi-suk asked him to quit his job.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The pandemic’s “Great Resignation” era — when many workers quit their job and got a big raise at a new employer — and the inflation flare-up pushed companies into larger-than-usual pay increases, Wardrip said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Morton told Nolan she hadn’t read “The Odyssey,” which, when you quit school at the age of 12, makes sense.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
I’d planned to quit anyway so it wouldn’t make any difference, but I hadn’t done anything wrong.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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
Their Majesties quitted Paris at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
From Time Magazine Archive
Amid delirious cheering, Signor Mussolini quitted the Capitol and strode toward his automobile.
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
Harriet’s manner of speaking of the circumstance before they quitted the ballroom, she had strong hopes.
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
In more recent years, she has worked in digital communications for the Labour Party, and for Keir Starmer in Number10 before quitting last year.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Heart-disease risk drops rapidly in the first weeks and months after quitting, says David Hill, a pulmonologist and chair of the American Lung Association’s board of directors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Various groups have been expanding in the Bay Area and beyond, some focused more heavily on job displacement and others pushing for actions such as quitting OpenAI’s ChatGPT and banning new AI technology development.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Before quitting, take an honest look at your budget.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
That, my dear, is one of the principal reasons why I have been reluctant to agree to your quitting office.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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.
