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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
Model Brooks Nader and dance pro Gleb Savchenko have called it quits after meeting as partners on season 33 of Dancing With the Stars. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 8 Apr. 2025 In addition, the report said that 20% of parents have either quit their job or been fired because of child care issues. Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 8 Apr. 2025 This Guardian article about a woman who quit her job, closed her bank account, and lives without money is quite something. Sigal Samuel, Vox, 6 Apr. 2025 Tariffs hit, wallets quit: low-income families take the hardest blow. Chad De Guzman, Time, 4 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for quit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quit
Verb
  • The department did not say how much money is left of the total $189 billion approved.
    CBS News, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2025
  • With few options left, Adam begins considering and concocting ways to enact vengeance, but Basem, having been down that rageful path, advises him otherwise.
    Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 11 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Heading them is none other than Robert Keller, who wasn’t killed after all, and now blames his big bro for abandoning him.
    Dennis Harvey, Variety, 11 Apr. 2025
  • The Indonesian government was floating a moratorium to stop the construction of new hotels, villas and nightclubs in Bali, in an effort to curb over tourism—an idea that was abandoned at the start of the year.
    Michelle Tchea, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Has Bacteria-Fighting Properties A study found that ACV helped stop the growth of two harmful bacteria: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli).
    Johna Burdeos, Health, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Ronnie Dunn unexpectedly stopped a performance in Indianapolis.
    Raven Brunner, People.com, 6 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The houses also provided a measure of protection for the young women away from home and assumed to be in danger of succumbing to urban corruption.
    The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 2 Apr. 2025
  • Despite the disparity in shots, Eastern Hills held on, but finally succumbed to Lake Dallas 4-1. Lake Dallas (15-6-2) moves on and will face undefeated Waxahachie Life (24-0-0) in the area round next week.
    Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Yellow’s bankruptcy journey has lasted roughly 20 months, with the century-old less-than-truckload (LTL) company ceasing operations July 30, 2023.
    Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 1 Apr. 2025
  • If Jun-no can’t turn things around quickly the company may cease to exist.
    Joan MacDonald, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • At its heart, the trial was about whether college athletes and former college athletes should be paid more than nothing for use of their NIL in video games and other products.
    Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 4 Apr. 2025
  • Students have very real fears about paying for college Just to be clear, the Education Department still exists, and cannot be closed without an act of Congress.
    Anna North, Vox, 3 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • 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
Verb
  • New clues from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument collaboration, known as DESI, suggest dark energy may be behaving in unexpected ways and may even be weakening over time.
    Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2025
  • Bridget Jones actress Sally Phillips is sharing hilarious memories of behaving exactly like the franchise’s hapless heroine around costars Hugh Grant and Colin Firth.
    John Russell, People.com, 4 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Quit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quit. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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