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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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

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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
Byford quit, then un-quit, then quit again a couple of months later. Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 23 May 2025 Fitzwilliams quit his job in February as the Trump administration began layoffs and job cuts across the Forest Service. Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 23 May 2025 Anger over that was part of the reason the agriculture minister quit this week. Mari Yamaguchi, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025 Tempting people to quit an immunity challenge for a mystery vote steal advantage? Dalton Ross, EW.com, 15 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for quit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quit
Verb
  • What's left is rosemary, a spice that many, many people already have in their kitchen, or maybe even growing like an angry weed in their backyard.
    Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 18 May 2025
  • With 5:43 left, Bobby McMann set up Max Pacioretty with an insurance goal.
    Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 18 May 2025
Verb
  • Elder Scrolls Online, like any other MMO, is the type of game many players spend hundreds of even thousands of hours playing over the course of several years, so asking them to abandon an account with that type of legacy just to play with someone on another platform is a very big ask.
    David Jagneaux, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
  • The property had been abandoned for about three years, according to Dawkins.
    Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 29 May 2025
Verb
  • The chase reportedly ended when Buckley wrecked near the intersection of Watts and McAlister streets, an area of mostly forest about 1 1/2 miles southeast of where Buckley was first stopped.
    Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 25 May 2025
  • The former analyst ends up becoming a critical new addition to the gang in their mission to stop the Entity from destroying the world.
    EW.com, EW.com, 24 May 2025
Verb
  • Test cricket’s older generation is succumbing to Father Time.
    Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 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 26-year-old England full-back will depart Anfield after nine years with the first team that brought 352 appearances, 23 goals, 86 assists and eight domestic, European and world trophies.
    Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 28 May 2025
  • After the ceremony ended, Trump quickly departed to play a round of golf.
    Davis Winkie, USA Today, 27 May 2025
Verb
  • Secondly, for several years the Treasury market has been behaving strangely, for reasons that have nothing to do with tariffs or trade policy.
    George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
  • Yet another point in this episode hanging on these professionals behaving in ways that just didn’t track with their actual experience.
    Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 23 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Quit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quit. Accessed 1 Jun. 2025.

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