exit

1 of 3

script annotation

used as a stage direction to specify who goes off stage

exit

2 of 3

noun

1
: a departure from a stage
2
a
: the act of going out or away
made an early exit
b
: death
3
: a way out of an enclosed place or space
4
: one of the designated points of departure from an expressway
exitless adjective

exit

3 of 3

verb

exited; exiting; exits

intransitive verb

1
: to go out or away : depart
2
: die

transitive verb

1
2
: to cause (a computer program or routine) to cease running

Examples of exit in a Sentence

Noun Use the emergency exit in case of fire. There are 12 exits in the building. We can't get out this way: the sign says “No Exit.” Verb The team exited the tournament early. Save your work and then exit the program.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Coming off a disappointing playoff exit last season and falling to 2-2 through Week 4, the pressure was mounting on head coach Nick Sirianni. Ben Morse, CNN, 30 Oct. 2024 Success in Silicon Valley is generally measured by the size of a funding round or the speed of an exit. Heather Wishart-Smith, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024 Senior leadership teams scatter, operational centers shift to other jurisdictions, and ultimately, the most valuable exits happen elsewhere. James McClure, Fortune Europe, 28 Oct. 2024 Despite having gone to college together, author Iman Hariri-Kia and Matthew’s love story started during the summer of 2016, when the pair bumped into each other while both trying to Irish exit the same New York City club. Florence O'Connor, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for exit 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'exit.' 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

Script annotation

borrowed from Latin, third person singular present indicative of exeō, exīre "to come or go out," from ex- ex- entry 1 + īre "to go" — more at issue entry 1

Noun

in part derivative of exit entry 1 or exit entry 3, in part borrowed from Latin exitus "act of going out, departure, means of departure, way out, final point, conclusion," from exi-, variant stem of exīre "to come or go out" (from ex- ex- entry 1 + īre "to go") + -tus, suffix of action nouns — more at issue entry 1

Verb

derivative of exit entry 1 or exit entry 2

First Known Use

Script Annotation

circa 1548, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1607, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of exit was circa 1548

Dictionary Entries Near exit

Cite this Entry

“Exit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exit. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

exit

1 of 3
used as a stage direction to indicate who goes off the stage

exit

2 of 3 noun
1
: a departure from a stage
2
: the act of going out or away
3
: a way to go out of a place

exit

3 of 3 verb
: to go out : leave, depart
Etymology

from Latin exit "he or she goes out," from exire "to go out," from ex- "out of, from" and ire "to go" — related to issue, itinerary

More from Merriam-Webster on exit

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