quit 1 of 2

1
as in to leave
to give up (a job or office) he decided to quit his job at the fast-food restaurant

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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5
as in to succumb
to cease resistance (as to another's arguments, demands, or control) tried to persuade his daughter to remain at home, but eventually he just quit and let her go out on her own

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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7
as in to pay
to give what is owed for eager to quit all debts before starting married life

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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quit

2 of 2

adjective

as in free
no longer burdened with something unpleasant or painful I am finally quit of that terrible task

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word quit distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of quit are cease, desist, discontinue, and stop. While all these words mean "to suspend or cause to suspend activity," quit may stress either finality or abruptness in stopping or ceasing.

the engine faltered, sputtered, then quit altogether

When is it sensible to use cease instead of quit?

The words cease and quit are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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

When is desist a more appropriate choice than quit?

While the synonyms desist and quit are close in meaning, desist implies forbearance or restraint as a motive for stopping or ceasing.

desisted from further efforts to persuade them

When would discontinue be a good substitute for quit?

While in some cases nearly identical to quit, discontinue applies to the stopping of an accustomed activity or practice.

we have discontinued the manufacture of that item

When could stop be used to replace quit?

In some situations, the words stop and quit are roughly equivalent. However, stop applies to action or progress or to what is operating or progressing and may imply suddenness or definiteness.

stopped at the red light

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of quit
Verb
Same for quitting smoking, getting a good night’s sleep, limiting alcohol, and adding foods rich in omega-3s. Time, 26 June 2025 Then, Randi Weingarten, the influential leader of the American Federation of Teachers, and Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, both quit the DNC over their disagreement with Martin’s leadership. Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 21 June 2025 Trump understands starting a war in the Middle East is a lot like quitting your sales job at Best Buy. Peter White, Deadline, 20 June 2025 The singer-songwriter has also said that the album was informed by her experiences with disordered eating, quitting birth control and breaking off a longterm relationship. Tyler Jenke, Billboard, 20 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for quit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quit
Verb
  • Schmidt left Thursday’s game after three innings and 55 pitches.
    Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 5 July 2025
  • Ionic technology, on the other hand, speeds up dry time and cuts frizz (especially helpful in humid weather) but can leave fine hair looking too sleek or limp if overused.
    Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 5 July 2025
Verb
  • Retired repos add risk: When maintainers abandon a namespace, attackers can adopt it and push trojan updates.
    Syed Ahmed, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • Never desert a blaze: Avoid abandoning any fire without supervision.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2025
Verb
  • Paul Goldschmidt had one of just three Yankees hits in Saturday’s 7-0 loss to the A’s, but that didn’t stop him from sharing some self-depreciation after the game.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 29 June 2025
  • Trying to stop the runaway, Jeff was knocked to the concrete and sustained a fractured skull and other life-threatening injuries that left him in a coma for weeks.
    Neil Milbert, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2025
Verb
  • In a moment that is almost cliché, the lawyer is the first to succumb to the terror of the T-Rex.
    Blake D. Morant, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
  • Some leaders recently have succumbed to such efforts and paid the piper, while others have resisted.
    Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 7 July 2025
Verb
  • When the questioning ceased, committee Chair Rep. Doug Miller R-Elkhart, thanked the fruitful advocates for their time.
    Anna Cecil, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
  • The order instructs the testing facility to cease operations as of July 4, and gives them 21 days to request for a hearing over the commission’s action.
    Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald, 2 July 2025
Verb
  • And pay special attention to those easy-to-wear Madewell barrel jeans, which are truly beloved among Glamour editors.
    Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 8 July 2025
  • That payment was bumped to $2 million when Blitzer took over; NWSL prices were already on the rise, and that was in line with what Angel City and the San Diego Wave paid when they were awarded teams in 2020 and 2021.
    Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 8 July 2025
Verb
  • The criminal complaint alleges that she was captured on surveillance footage carrying a black backpack entering the locker room area, appearing to take a photo of the vicinity, and departing without the backpack.
    Mike Brest, The Washington Examiner, 1 July 2025
  • Over time, many of the drivers of their upside, from George Springer to Carlos Correa to Gerrit Cole to Justin Verlander to Tucker and Bregman, departed.
    Tony Blengino, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
Verb
  • An aside: phosphorylation is when a tiny chemical group called a phosphate is added to a protein, such as tau, which is like adding a switch to change how the protein behaves.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 30 June 2025
  • Yet, but Buyers Are Gaining Power For Hale, the recent shifts in the U.S. housing market signals that the country is moving in favor of buyers—and under certain aspects is already behaving more like a buyer's market than a seller's one.
    Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Quit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quit. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.

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