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:
Since my longtime therapist’s behavioral approach had already helped rein in my personality enough to quit smoking and drinking, and marry a great guy, I decided to try his suggestion.
From Slate ● Sep. 27, 2026
Cooper spoke to his supervisor at the time, Lee Challenger, 42, and the two men quit their jobs and started New Homes Quality Control.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
Dozens of agents and prosecutors quit amid the department’s destruction, including the career attorney assigned to Kao’s case.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
The goal isn’t to quit working at 40.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
“I’m not stupid. I know I’m supposed to keep everything a secret. No, I just told him that I’ve got some royalty in the family. And quit judging me, I know I’m a poseur!”
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
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
After a sumptuous banquet in his honor he quitted Hungary last week.
From Time Magazine Archive
Thereupon the great man bowed, picked up his hat and, according to one witness, "quitted the room with a dignity so severe that every person seemed alarmed."
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 such conversation an hour was soon gone: Bessie restored to me my bonnet, &c., and, accompanied by her, I quitted the lodge for the hall.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
The couple previously revealed that they were quitting California to move to Hawaii.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
With jobs hard to find, fewer people are quitting for fear they might not find another one.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
But Finneas -- a performer also famous for work with his superstar sister Billie Eilish -- Irish acts Aaron Rowe and Beoga, and Lukas Graham of Denmark all posted they were quitting Sheeran's "Loop Tour."
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
A former Anthropic employee said he was quitting this week and that AI companies are “gambling with our lives.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
I held a series of petty' jobs for short periods, quitting some to work elsewhere, being driven off others because of my attitude, my speech, the look in my eyes.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
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.
