quit

[ kwit ]

/ kwɪt /

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See synonyms for: quit / quitting on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), quit or quit·ted, quit·ting.

to stop, cease, or discontinue: She quit what she was doing to help me paint the house.

to depart from; leave (a place or person): They quit the city for the seashore every summer.

to give up or resign; let go; relinquish: 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), quit or quit·ted, quit·ting.

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

released from obligation, penalty, etc.; free, clear, or rid (usually followed by of): quit of all further responsibilities.

OTHER WORDS FOR quit

3 vacate; release.

12 acquitted, discharged.

See synonyms for quit on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR quit

1 start.

2 enter.

See antonyms for quit on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of quit

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

OTHER WORDS FROM quit

quit·ta·ble, adjectiveun·quit·ted, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH quit

quiet, quit , quite

Other definitions for quit (2 of 2)

quit²

[ kwit ]

/ kwɪt /

noun

any of various small tropical birds.

Origin of quit

First recorded in 1845–50; originally Jamaican English, of uncertain origin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use quit in a sentence

A lecturer in Letchworth, England, she was concerned about how the company had let misinformation on Brexit spread unchecked, and was seriously thinking about quitting altogether.
Why it’s easy to hate Facebook but hard to leave|Heather Kelly|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
At the end of a challenging year that saw the farm flop and his co-founders leave the company, Koney was tempted to call it quits.
The Airbnb for Farms Finds Fertile Soil in Ghana|Daniel Malloy|November 18, 2020|Ozy
As Julia Belluz previously reported for Vox, quitting Juul can be more difficult than quitting cigarettes, which is ironic since e-cigarettes as a concept were initially angled as a way to help people quit cigarettes.
How the pandemic got people smoking again|Melinda Fakuade|November 12, 2020|Vox
They won’t quit on their own, not without a municipal directive.
Sports were a distraction from the pandemic. Now they’re being battered by it.|Jerry Brewer|November 12, 2020|Washington Post

Virtual schooling has largely forced moms, not dads, to quit work.
You deserve a work-life balance, even if you’re child-free in a pandemic|Karla Miller|November 12, 2020|Washington Post
But Mamma and Papa and Judy had quitted the cab, and all the luggage was being taken into the house.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
She poured out some chocolate, took it hurriedly, and quitted the room, leaving her husband in a disheartening reverie.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood
Next morning that glorious garrison quitted the shot-torn plain they had hallowed by their deeds.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
He quitted the bank daily at a late hour, and reached his home just in time for dinner.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
They were both in the private room, which the former had not quitted during the day.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various

British Dictionary definitions for quit

quit

/ (kwɪt) /

verb quits or quitting or quitted or mainly US quit

(tr) to depart from; leavehe 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 themthey received notice to quit

to desist or cease from (something or doing something); break offquit laughing

(tr) to pay off (a debt); discharge or settle

(tr) archaic to conduct or acquit (oneself); comport (oneself)he quits himself with great dignity

adjective

(usually predicative foll by of) free (from); released (from)he was quit of all responsibility for their safety

Word Origin for quit

C13: from Old French quitter, from Latin quiētus quiet; see quietus

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with quit

quit

In addition to the idiom beginning with quit

quite a bit
quit while one's ahead

also see:

call it quits

quit

OTHER WORDS FOR quit

OPPOSITES FOR quit

Origin of quit

OTHER WORDS FROM quit

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH quit

Other definitions for quit (2 of 2)

Origin of quit

Words related to quit

How to use quit in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for quit

Word Origin for quit

Other Idioms and Phrases with quit