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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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

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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

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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
By the time Christopher McQuarrie met Tom Cruise, the filmmaker was ready to quit the movie industry. Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2025 Apart from a one-off 2014 reunion show at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, 4 Non Blondes has been dormant since Perry quit the band 31 years ago. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2025 Around that time, Thompson was brave enough to quit her job, which ended up offering to invest in her brand. India Espy-Jones, Essence, 14 May 2025 In March 2025, 3.3 million Americans voluntarily quit their jobs. Cheryl Robinson, Forbes.com, 3 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for quit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quit
Verb
  • What is left of the two helicopters — which were revealed to be Robinson R-44 models — have been sent to the city of Turku for investigation, according to the Estonia outlet.
    Bailey Richards, People.com, 18 May 2025
  • The aspirational numbers are dazzling but many details are undefined, with much left to be decided down the road in a world fraught with geopolitical and economic impediments.
    David Blackmon, Forbes.com, 18 May 2025
Verb
  • President mulls joining Russia-Ukraine peace talks, expects ceasefire With Russian forces now in control of close to a fifth of Ukraine, Putin has held fast to his longstanding demands for Kyiv to cede territory, abandon its NATO membership ambitions and become a neutral country.
    USA Today, USA Today, 17 May 2025
  • When Lollapalooza first announced that Olivia and Sabrina Carpenter were headlining this summer (along with Tyler, the Creator and Rüfüs Du Soul), with Abrams also in a top slot, there was the predictable gnashing of teeth that Lollapalooza is abandoning its precious rock heritage.
    Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 17 May 2025
Verb
  • Chemotherapy Chemotherapy agents, most commonly docetaxel, may be used when hormone treatments stop working and a person has metastatic CRPC.
    Matthew Wosnitzer, Verywell Health, 12 May 2025
  • Angelo must stop whoever’s coming for his family by searching his past hits for clues, and the list is very long.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 12 May 2025
Verb
  • In the coldest regions of its hardiness zone, plants can succumb to winter dieback during unusually harsh winters but generally recover well with new growth.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 21 May 2025
  • Quickly: In Oklahoma City, the Timberwolves succumbed to a masterclass in Thunderology, in which the young juggernauts fell behind early, rebounded, played incessant defense and saw Shai Gilgeous-Alexander work his foul-merchant magic.
    Chris Branch, New York Times, 21 May 2025
Verb
  • When that shows '0,' this restaurant needs to cease operations.
    Raven Brunner, People.com, 20 May 2025
  • Starting June 1, the forecast office in Fairbanks, Alaska, also will cease overnight staffing; Pendleton, Oregon, also is on the list provided by Fahy, but a date has not been set.
    Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 18 May 2025
Verb
  • That hasn’t stopped companies from throwing millions of dollars in bonuses and pay packages at star researchers, according to seven sources familiar with the matter.
    Anna Tong, USA Today, 22 May 2025
  • Sarah Anderson has a strong point of view on U.S. CEO pay.
    Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 21 May 2025
Verb
  • The ship departed from Tokyo on April 26 for a cruise through Japan and Alaska before arriving in Vancouver, according to CruiseMapper.
    Nathan Diller, USA Today, 15 May 2025
  • Others, including many consumer services and light industries, are now dominated by Russian businesses who were able to purchase the assets of departing Western firms on the cheap and move unopposed into their former market niches.
    Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor, 14 May 2025
Verb
  • Police may switch from active pursuit when the driver is speeding or behaving erratically.
    Kaitlyn Huamani, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025
  • Advanced Protection is likely to behave the same way.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 13 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Quit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quit. Accessed 24 May. 2025.

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