quit

1 of 3

verb

quit also quitted; quitting

transitive verb

1
a
: 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

2 of 3

adjective

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

quit

3 of 3

noun

: the act or an instance of quitting a job

Did you know?

Is it quit or resign?

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.

Choose the Right Synonym for quit

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

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
Later that same year, in December, reports circulated that the pair called it quits and were on good terms. Jacqueline Weiss, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2024 Other Democratic challengers received nearly 13 percentage points of the vote, which included ballots that were likely cast before some of those candidates formally quit the race. Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 19 Mar. 2024 At least two of his employees quit in the past year because of crime in the area, Maupillier said. Emily Davies, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024 Also, a bunch of brokers are probably about to quit. David Goldman, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024 Information January 2024 quits rate: 1.7% 2019 average: 1.6% Different: +0.1% Many tech workers have been quitting but not because the industry is hot, Begley says. Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024 Hoping to start a new chapter after graduating, Demeter managed to quit purging on her own and thought she was cured. Audrey Richardson and Aurora Sousanis, Detroit Free Press, 17 Mar. 2024 After quitting the hospital to pursue more meaningful work, helping the homeless communities of Seattle, April is proposed to by her ex-fiancée in her final moments on the show. TIME, 14 Mar. 2024 Three of those directors agreed to step down after more than 95 percent of OpenAI employees threatened to quit if he wasn’t brought back. Paresh Dave, WIRED, 8 Mar. 2024
Noun
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the food and accommodations sector has a 5.1% quit rate. Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2024 The quits rate in retail averaged a robust 4% in 2022. Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024 Turnover: Tracking turnover data by department and supervisor level can help identify whether problems are prevalent across the organization or if there’s a specific area with a disproportionate number of quits. Shannon Gabriel, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 But there was no quit in Liberty as the Lions slowly got back into the game. Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2024 The quits rate, which measures workers voluntarily leaving their job (usually for a new, higher-paying one) fell to a three-year low in December, with just 2.2% of all workers quitting that month, in line with the pre-pandemic average of about 2.3%. Irina Ivanova, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2024 However, employees appear may be feeling more reticent about jumping ship or not seeing as many opportunities: The number of quits dropped to 3.392 million, the lowest level since January 2021. Alicia Wallace, CNN, 30 Jan. 2024 The current level and stability of quit rates indicate that labor markets overall are less volatile, and employees are choosing to remain with employers at more consistent rates. John M. Bremen, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 Below, Jeff Probst weighs in on all of that and more from the premiere, including whether Hannah's actions count as a quit. Dalton Ross, EW.com, 28 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English quiten, quitten, from Anglo-French quiter, from quite free of, released, from Latin quietus quiet, at rest

Adjective

Middle English quite, quit, from Anglo-French

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

circa 1923, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of quit was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near quit

Cite this Entry

“Quit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quit. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

quit

1 of 2 adjective
: released from duty, responsibility, or penalty : free
quit of debt

quit

2 of 2 verb
quit also quitted; quitting
1
: to make full payment to or for : repay
quit a debt
2
: conduct entry 2 sense 4
the children quit themselves well in the woods
3
a
: to depart from : leave
quit the scene of the accident
b
: to bring to an end : abandon
c
: to give up (as an action or activity) for good
quit bragging
quit a job
4
: to admit defeat : surrender

More from Merriam-Webster on quit

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