quit

1 of 3

verb

quit also quitted; quitting

transitive verb

1
a
: give up sense 1
quit a job
b
: give up sense 2
quit smoking
c
: to depart from or out of
d
: to leave the company of
2
: to make full payment of : pay up
quit a debt
3
: to set free : relieve, release
quit oneself of fear
4
: conduct, acquit
the youths quit themselves like men

intransitive verb

1
: to give up employment
2
: to cease normal, expected, or necessary action
the engine quit
3
: to admit defeat : give up

quit

2 of 3

adjective

: released from obligation, charge, or penalty
especially : free

quit

3 of 3

noun

: the act or an instance of quitting a job

Did you know?

Is it quit or resign?

Should you quit or should you resign from your job? No matter which one you choose, it is likely that both of these actions will have the exact same effect on your future, as they are, in this sense, fairly synonymous. However, each is more likely to be found used in specific settings, so you may wish to choose your word with care. Resign is more formal, and will often be found when a person is describing relinquishing a position or office, especially if it is done in disgrace. While it would not be incorrect to say that a member of an organization's board, a king or queen, or a political leader "quit their position," it is more likely that the word resign would be employed.

Choose the Right Synonym for quit

stop, cease, quit, discontinue, desist mean to suspend or cause to suspend activity.

stop applies to action or progress or to what is operating or progressing and may imply suddenness or definiteness.

stopped at the red light

cease applies to states, conditions, or existence and may add a suggestion of gradualness and a degree of finality.

by nightfall the fighting had ceased

quit may stress either finality or abruptness in stopping or ceasing.

the engine faltered, sputtered, then quit altogether

discontinue applies to the stopping of an accustomed activity or practice.

we have discontinued the manufacture of that item

desist implies forbearance or restraint as a motive for stopping or ceasing.

desisted from further efforts to persuade them

Examples of quit in a Sentence

Verb She quit college after one semester. She decided to quit show business. He quit teaching after five years. Many workers are quitting because of poor pay. She hates her job and she's thinking about quitting. She quit smoking years ago. I wish you would quit bothering her. We're going to quit for the day. It's too hot to keep working. Adjective I am finally quit of that terrible task.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Three of those directors agreed to step down after more than 95 percent of OpenAI employees threatened to quit if he wasn’t brought back. Paresh Dave, WIRED, 8 Mar. 2024 Florida, where Kinlaw is trying to quit smoking and Rodriguez worries about her smoke shop, is one of them. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2024 But after packing on the PDA at Coachella and attending one of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour shows together, the pair called it quits once again. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2024 Sinema’s decision to quit has parallels to that of her predecessor, former Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz. Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 5 Mar. 2024 Butcher had to quit that race but went on to win four Iditarods. CBS News, 5 Mar. 2024 If the political rifts grow and Gantz quits the government, the floodgates will open to broader protests by a public that was already unhappy with the government when Hamas struck, said Reuven Hazan, a professor of political science at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Tia Goldenberg, arkansasonline.com, 4 Mar. 2024 Since 2020, one in five healthcare workers has left the industry, according to a recent report from Definitive Healthcare, and some 47% plan to quit in the next two years. Web Golinkin, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 Two law firms that had been defending him against lawsuits by Dominion and Smartmatic quit last fall. CBS News, 23 Feb. 2024
Noun
Turnover: Tracking turnover data by department and supervisor level can help identify whether problems are prevalent across the organization or if there’s a specific area with a disproportionate number of quits. Shannon Gabriel, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 But there was no quit in Liberty as the Lions slowly got back into the game. Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2024 The quits rate, which measures workers voluntarily leaving their job (usually for a new, higher-paying one) fell to a three-year low in December, with just 2.2% of all workers quitting that month, in line with the pre-pandemic average of about 2.3%. Irina Ivanova, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2024 However, employees appear may be feeling more reticent about jumping ship or not seeing as many opportunities: The number of quits dropped to 3.392 million, the lowest level since January 2021. Alicia Wallace, CNN, 30 Jan. 2024 The current level and stability of quit rates indicate that labor markets overall are less volatile, and employees are choosing to remain with employers at more consistent rates. John M. Bremen, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 Below, Jeff Probst weighs in on all of that and more from the premiere, including whether Hannah's actions count as a quit. Dalton Ross, EW.com, 28 Sep. 2023 Even though Emily stayed because of Hannah's quit, that wasn't on us. Dalton Ross, EW.com, 12 Oct. 2023 These layoffs, many of which are for white-collar roles, have led to a job market squeeze, pushing quit rates to pre-pandemic lows. Trey Williams, Fortune, 13 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English quiten, quitten, from Anglo-French quiter, from quite free of, released, from Latin quietus quiet, at rest

Adjective

Middle English quite, quit, from Anglo-French

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

circa 1923, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of quit was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near quit

Cite this Entry

“Quit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quit. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

quit

1 of 2 adjective
: released from duty, responsibility, or penalty : free
quit of debt

quit

2 of 2 verb
quit also quitted; quitting
1
: to make full payment to or for : repay
quit a debt
2
: conduct entry 2 sense 4
the children quit themselves well in the woods
3
a
: to depart from : leave
quit the scene of the accident
b
: to bring to an end : abandon
c
: to give up (as an action or activity) for good
quit bragging
quit a job
4
: to admit defeat : surrender

More from Merriam-Webster on quit

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