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

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

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.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

He was also worried about how impaired breathing could put him at risk were he to catch Covid-19 — “it’s one more underlying factor that you actually do have control of” — so he quit cold turkey.
How the pandemic got people smoking again|Melinda Fakuade|November 12, 2020|Vox
According to the New York Times, harassment and abuse has pushed many women to stop pursuing the master sommelier title and, in some cases, quit the industry entirelyIn the wine world, perhaps no title is more coveted than that of master sommelier.
Report Details Litany of Sexual Abuse Experienced by Women in Master Sommelier Training|Elazar Sontag|October 30, 2020|Eater
He quit school and picked cotton for a while, joined the Navy and eventually got a job in a sawmill, where he lost most of two fingers.
Nobody wrote songs like Billy Joe Shaver|Geoff Edgers|October 29, 2020|Washington Post
Young vapers had plenty of reason to quit long before the pandemic.
COVID-19 risk linked to vaping, but addicted kids find it hard to stop|Janet Raloff|October 27, 2020|Science News For Students

It just seeks to help “move kids towards quitting,” says Halpern-Felsher — “as the step before.”
These free programs can help teens seeking to quit vaping|Janet Raloff|October 27, 2020|Science News For Students
Lennox got so much hate mail, she contemplated quitting social media altogether.
Annie Lennox Doesn’t Give a Damn What You Think|Itay Hod|October 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Editors were apoplectic, and they showed it by quitting en masse, leaving Mays to pick up the pieces.
It Was All a Dream: Drama, Bullshit, and the Rebirth of The Source Magazine|Alex Suskind|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Back in 2005, those two factors contributed to him quitting his television program and leaving behind $50 million.
Dave Chappelle’s Triumphant Return to New York City|Alex Suskind|June 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Old times, where Ramirez was often accused of quitting on his team, sulking and not putting out his full effort, were forgotten.
Why Do We Forgive Manny Ramirez for Being Manny?|Allen Barra|June 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Yet five years ago, Herman reveals, he had had enough and thought about quitting.
Exclusive: ‘X-Men’ Sex Abuse Lawyer Says He Was Assaulted, Too|Tim Teeman|May 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
An act done by a wrongdoer, not under the lessor's order, will not justify the lessee in quitting.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
Maybe Marie would wish then that she had thought twice about quitting him just on her mother's say-so.
Cabin Fever|B. M. Bower
"I have not the least intention of quitting you," was the rather indignant reply of the young fellow.
Overland|John William De Forest
Before quitting the yard, though, I fell in with another acquaintance.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 67, Number 414, April, 1850|Various
Understand me, I'm not thinking of quitting; I merely want to look over the battlefield first.
The White Desert|Courtney Ryley Cooper

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