quit 1 of 2

verb

ˈkwit How to pronounce quit (audio)
Definition of quitnext
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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2
as in to abandon
to stop doing (something) permanently her doctor told her it was high time she quit smoking

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3
as in to stop
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end quit pestering your coworkers with pointless questions

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4
as in to forsake
to cause to remain behind he quit the house sometime around nine this morning and hasn't been seen since

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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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6
as in to cease
to come to an end will this teasing ever quit?

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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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8
as in to depart
to leave a place often for another we plan to quit the amusement park around seven tonight and then head to the diner for some food

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9
as in to behave
to manage the actions of (oneself) in a particular way I thought the kids quitted themselves quite well at the concert tonight

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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
The research found launching a new fund is so popular that most hedge fund executives suspect colleagues are planning to quit and launch their own fund with 85 percent of senior executives questioned are concerned about a colleague launching their own fund. — Lawrence Wintermeyer, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025 This lighthearted response works well at gatherings like birthday parties and cookouts, says Amy Braun, a therapist in Chicago who doesn’t drink and works with many women who have also quit alcohol. — Angela Haupt, Time, 26 Mar. 2025 The post workers' union fired a message of warning to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) this week after news broke that America's Postmaster General was quitting. — Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 25 Mar. 2025 This is crucial, as 1 in 3 workers report having quit a role due to not aligning with the viewpoints of an organization’s leadership. — Sander Van ‘t Noordende, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for quit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quit
  1. leave
  2. abandon
  3. stop
  4. succumb
  5. cease
  6. pay
  7. depart
  8. behave
Verb
  • For that reason, Santoro left Rivolta Femminile and in 1976 founded the Cooperativa Beato Angelico, the first women’s art space in Rome, together with ten other Italian women.
    — Paola Ugolini, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2025
  • The sighting left the researchers with more questions than answers… but that’s the beauty of studying the ocean.
    — Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025
Definition of leave
Verb
  • Iran later abandoned provisions of the JCPOA and forged ahead with its nuclear program.
    — Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2025
  • The administration’s decision to abandon plans to move D.C.’s elite fighter jet squadron to Maryland comes months after the state’s congressional delegation and Gov. Wes Moore (D) worked to secure the planes to prevent the state from losing its flying mission.
    — Meagan Flynn, Baltimore Sun, 29 Mar. 2025
Definition of abandon
Verb
  • The park also provides convenient shuttle buses to transport guests throughout the park, which stop just outside the lodge.
    — Sophie Mendel, Travel + Leisure, 23 Mar. 2025
  • There’s nothing to stop this being made available to other OEMs.
    — Zak Doffman, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
Definition of stop
Verb
  • All the Sumerian cities of Mesopotamia succumbed to the same fate and were conquered by Sargon.
    — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 20 Mar. 2025
  • An estimated 1,323 Californians have succumbed to the flu as of the week ending March 8, including 19 children.
    — Harriet Blair Rowan, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2025
Definition of succumb
Verb
  • Disney investors on Thursday voted down a proposal that the entertainment giant cease its participation in a prominent LGBTQ rights organization’s equality ratings program.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 20 Mar. 2025
  • However, this does not mean that nuclear waste storage has ceased to be an issue.
    — Ariel Cohen, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
Definition of cease
Verb
  • The company ultimately paid the boxer over $137 million for the rights to use his name on the product.
    — Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 22 Mar. 2025
  • In 1999, Salton Inc. paid $137.5 million for rights to use Foreman’s name on grills.
    — Mark Puleo, The Athletic, 22 Mar. 2025
Definition of pay
Verb
  • The inaugural charter flight departed from Wuxi to Chicago early Friday, carrying more than 100 tons of cargo.
    — Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Ravi Ahuja will depart Roku‘s board of directors after more than a decade, following his promotion to CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025
Definition of depart
Verb
  • Ramos pleaded guilty last August to the 2019 murder of police rookie Tara O’Sullivan, who had accompanied Ramos’ former girlfriend to retrieve her belongings from the Del Paso Heights home where he was holed up and behaving erratically.
    — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 26 Mar. 2025
  • Instead of China coming to resemble the United States, the United States is behaving more like China.
    — Michael B. G. Froman, Foreign Affairs, 25 Mar. 2025
Definition of behave

Browse Nearby Words

quislings
quit
quitclaim
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Cite this Entry

“Quit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quit. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.

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