quits
Americanadjective
idioms
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call it quits,
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to end one's activity, especially temporarily.
At 10 o'clock I decided to call it quits for the day.
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to abandon an effort.
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cry quits, to agree to end competition and consider both sides equal.
It became too dark to continue play and they decided to cry quits.
adjective
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on an equal footing; even
now we are quits
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to agree to end a dispute, contest, etc, agreeing that honours are even
interjection
Usage
What else does quits mean? If someone quits or calls it quits, they abruptly leave or give up on something, especially leaving a job, relationship, or game.
Etymology
Origin of quits
1470–80; perhaps < Medieval Latin quittus quit 1
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.
"I love this job but I am always ready to call it quits if need be."
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Roughly 2½ years later, both sides called it quits after the deal failed to perform up to expectations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
In other cases, it has allowed workers to have a more secure retirement when they do call it quits.
From Barron's ● Jun. 13, 2026
That appearance came just a few months after Perry and Bloom, 49, officially called it quits after nine years together.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 12, 2026
After only a few months, Vincent quits his job, moves out of the room he shares with Gorlitz, and goes home.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
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.
