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
Kazungu has quit her job as a chef to care for her new grandchildren. — ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026 The gold medalist famously quit figure skating at 16 before coming back on her own terms ahead of this winter's Olympics. — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026 The hitmaker transitioned from being one of the biggest stars to come from the continent to him considering quitting music. — Ngozi Nwanji, Billboard, 25 Aug. 2026 The Stones somehow didn’t hit South America until 1995, a couple years after Wyman quit the band. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026 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
  • Fall summons the urge to nest, and as temperatures drop, so does the desire to leave the house.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Government debt makes up more than 200% of its gross domestic product, leaving its finances highly sensitive to rising borrowing costs.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of leave
Verb
  • First, Verbruggen baits Joao Pedro, who abandons Olivier Boscagli.
    — Jon Mackenzie, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Abandoning guidance in the middle of a crisis gets a pass that abandoning it on a clear day might not.
    — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of abandon
Verb
  • The new rules mandated that referees stop play for a ten-minute hydration break that allows players to drink fluids, change clothes, or shower in their locker room.
    — Aaron Short, Curbed, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The team stopped at 800 N because increasing the load further would require additional protective equipment, with a separate destructive limit test planned.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of stop
Verb
  • The Liberty’s deficit stayed in double figures while succumbing to the pressure of Golden State’s small lineups.
    — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Wolf succumbs to Shura, a demonic force in the game’s mythology that possesses those who give in to bloodlust.
    — Aman Kumar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of succumb
Verb
  • The turf needs this lead time to absorb the nutrients before growth ceases in winter.
    — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Ukraine is warning the world that airlines and other civilian aircraft must cease operations in Russian airspace or risk being caught in crossfire.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of cease
Verb
  • Google will pay an additional $190 million to Entergy for transmission system upgrades needed to serve the project.
    — Sydney Sasser, Arkansas Online, 1 Sep. 2026
  • With consumers paying an average of $49,855 for new cars in July 2026, according to Cox Automotive's Kelley Blue Book, only nine major car brands averaged sale prices under $40,000 in the United States.
    — Keith Laing, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of pay
Verb
  • And with players in major European leagues still able to depart their clubs beyond the deadline, there is potential for big deals to still be done in the coming days.
    — Leon Imber, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Four years after succeeding founder Virgil Abloh as the creative lead at Off-White, Ib Kamara has departed the brand.
    — Luke Leitch, Vogue, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of depart
Verb
  • Search for jet quenching Previous experiments suggest that a millionth of a second after the Big Bang, even as temperatures remained extremely high, matter did not behave like gas but instead like liquid with very low viscosity.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The denim industry does not necessarily need another product that behaves exactly like PP.
    — Alice Tonello, Footwear News, 31 Aug. 2026
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 Sep. 2026.

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