quit

verb

\ˈkwit

quit also quitted; quitting

Definition of quit

(Entry 1 of 3)

transitive verb

1a : 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

adjective

Definition of quit (Entry 2 of 3)

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

quit

noun

Definition of quit (Entry 3 of 3)

: the act or an instance of quitting a job

Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Is it quit or resign? More Example Sentences Learn More about quit

Keep scrolling for more

Choose the Right Synonym for quit

Verb

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

Is it quit or resign?

Adjective

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.

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

The compound has been shown in some studies to relieve pain, help aid sleep, mitigate anxiety, and may even help people quit addictive drugs. — Cady Drell, Marie Claire, "How Hard Should We Lean into This Whole CBD Coffee Trend?," 16 Aug. 2018 Beyond finding the perfect curly cocktail, most naturals have experienced tiny, mysterious tangles that just won’t quit. — Janell Hickman, Allure, "Fairy Knots 101: How to Deal With Single-Strand Knots in Your Natural Hair," 3 Aug. 2018 Some need complete restoration over two or three years such as the 1953 Fleetwood — the first year the company built travel trailers — purchased from an 84-year-old woman who decided to quit camping. — John Goodspeed, San Antonio Express-News, "RV museum chronicles Americans’ love of camping," 12 July 2018 As public housing buildings go smoke-free, health advocates mobilize to help residents quit. — Chicago Tribune Staff, chicagotribune.com, "Morning Spin: Rauner appoints outgoing Republican lawmaker as head of top health care agency," 3 July 2018 The couple had put everything into the restaurant; Nikki had just quit her job as a property manager. — Hilary Cadigan, Bon Appetit, "The Unmistakable Bryan Furman, Georgia’s New King of Barbecue," 25 June 2018 Giacometti quit Surrealism in 1935 and went back to working from life, with fumbling uncertainty during the next ten years. — Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, "Giacometti’s Skinny Sublimity," 6 June 2018 To their credit, the Rockets didn’t quit on their dream. — Al Saracevic, San Francisco Chronicle, "Just when you thought it was over, Warriors roar back for NBA Finals berth," 28 May 2018 On top of that, says Mr Myers, smokers do not know which of the thousands of vaping products on the market are best to help them quit. — The Economist, "Juuling is popular—perhaps too much so," 24 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

But with the explosion in salaries and sponsorship money in recent years, a solid driver today can make enough to call it quits in their 30s with plenty of financial security. — Gary Gastelu, Fox News, "Exhausted NASCAR drivers are retiring younger: 'It can make you old fast'," 17 Aug. 2018 The two ended up calling it quits, which prompted Camilla to reignite her relationship with Andrew. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "What Camilla Parker Bowles Was Really Like Before She Became a Duchess," 1 Aug. 2018 So why is Betts bucking the calling-it-quits trend of such septuagenarian stars as Elton John, Joan Baez, and Paul Simon? — Dan Deluca, Philly.com, "Guitar great Dickey Betts on unretiring, mourning the Allman brothers, and why he'll always be a 'Ramblin' Man'," 12 July 2018 In May, the U.S. quit rate, or the proportion of workers quitting their jobs, reached the highest level since 2001. — Brittany Shoot, Fortune, "Jobs Report: Workers Are Quitting Their Jobs at Dotcom Bubble Rates," 10 July 2018 More than 4,000 employees demanded Google end the deal, and some quit in protest. — Bloomberg, latimes.com, "Tech CEOs voice opposition to family separations at the border," 20 June 2018 The first day of shooting, the actual director and the first AD quit. — Anna Silman, The Cut, "The Pro-Life ‘Roe v. Wade’ Movie Sounds Like a Total Disaster," 13 July 2018 Esperanza Longhi — who also taught second grade — quit in February. — Anthony Faiola And Rachelle Krygier, Washington Post, "A historic exodus is leaving Venezuela without teachers, doctors and electricians," 3 June 2018 His case had dragged on through years of pretrial hearings until a military judge indefinitely shut it down last month because most of his defense lawyers had quit. — Charlie Savage, New York Times, "Guantánamo Lawyers Challenge Government’s Explanation for Hidden Microphone," 12 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'quit.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.