quits

American  

[kwits] / kwɪts /

adjective

1. on equal terms by repayment or retaliation.

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idioms

1. call it quits,

   1. to end one's activity, especially temporarily.

      At 10 o'clock I decided to call it quits for the day.

   2. to abandon an effort.

2. 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.

quits British  

/ kwɪts /

adjective

1. on an equal footing; even

   now we are quits

2. to agree to end a dispute, contest, etc, agreeing that honours are even

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interjection

1. an exclamation indicating willingness to give up

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

Former state controller Betty Yee — who languished at the bottom of the polls — held on for a few more weeks before calling it quits.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

The couple then rekindled, but called it quits mere months later.

From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026

Hours after Spirit called it quits, Breeze had agreed to fill nearly all of Spirit’s routes there.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026

When a close friend quits, they go down 36 percent.

From Slate • May 15, 2026

“Well, now we're quits, Dustfinger and I,” he said.

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke