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:
The couple left Britain and quit royal duties in 2020 but made an unexpected return with their two children to live in the United Kingdom in August.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026
Hucknall Central councillor Lee Waters, who was another one of the councillors to quit this week, said his decision "follows a period of reflection, and I believe the time is right to move on".
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
“If I had seen that kind of quid pro quo, I would have quit earlier.”
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
Or quit his job and form a garage band.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
Denied the chance to manage money by his hedge fund employer, he quit and tried to start his own hedge fund.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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
Amid an awkward pause, Dr. Luther and Herr Stresemann arose and quitted the gallery.
From Time Magazine Archive
Within a few hours, practically all the delegates had quitted the capital of the Commonwealth.
From Time Magazine Archive
Even by 1782, as an admiring French visitor observed, Jefferson, "without having quitted his own country," had become "an American who...is a musician, draftsman, astronomer, natural philosopher, jurist and a statesman."
From Time Magazine Archive
Mr. Rochester had given me but one week’s leave of absence: yet a month elapsed before I quitted Gateshead.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Councillor Matt Relf, executive lead member for growth, regeneration and local planning, said quitting the party was an "enormously upsetting" decision.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
And Bauers, the man who not long ago was on the verge of quitting the game entirely, might be the biggest reason why.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Prosecutors say Linton, 41, was furious with co-workers and thinking about quitting her job at Kaiser Permanente hospital in West L.A. when she drove down La Brea Avenue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
With jobs hard to find, fewer people are quitting for fear they might not find another one.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
"And what you said about quitting before you really tried."
From "The Contender" by Robert Lipsyte
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
