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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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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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as in to pay
to give what is owed for eager to quit all debts before starting married life

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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
Trump’s team has discussed relocating the agency’s headquarters outside of Washington, D.C., a move that would likely force many of the roughly 7,000 employees who work there to quit. Sharon Lerner, ProPublica, 6 Feb. 2025 Maldonado quit her full-time job, relocated from New York City to her hometown, and committed to turning her dream of starting a business into reality. Sydney Gore, Architectural Digest, 6 Feb. 2025 The White House said at least 40,000 federal workers have already agreed to quit in return for being paid until Sept. 30. Lindsay Whitehurst, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2025 His efforts include offering federal employees financial incentives to quit and gaining access to sensitive government systems, such as the U.S. Treasury's payment system. Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for quit 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quit
Verb
  • The Rock Hall is set to announce the nominees for the class of 2025 any day now, leaving us to think about the museum's biggest omissions.
    Troy Smith, Axios, 11 Feb. 2025
  • Tae-hwan didn’t seem to care about her or left her behind when ice skating and didn’t seem interested in her conversations.
    Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 11 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • This idea must be fought, stopped, and abandoned completely!
    Letters to the Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2025
  • They were allegedly left abandoned in an apartment when their family were evicted.
    Staff report, Hartford Courant, 8 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Outside of suicide, the only way for a terminally ill person in Ohio to hasten their own death is to refuse life-prolonging treatments or to stop eating and drinking.
    Tim Botos, USA TODAY, 18 Feb. 2025
  • However, Eke said, if Charlotte doesn’t succeed, the Berman family behind the bid won’t stop trying.
    Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 17 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • That proximity to real intimacy without fully succumbing to romantic feelings is so incredibly hot.
    Emily Martin, Them, 10 Feb. 2025
  • Outie Mark grabs his innie’s tie and ascends, with copies of his innies around them also succumbing to the balloon-head disorder.
    Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 5 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • The return-to-work ordinance would require city executives to determine timelines to cease remote-work options for their employees.
    Jessica Boehm, Axios, 11 Feb. 2025
  • Wednesday night, precipitation is expected to be both rain and snow but become all rain after 1 a.m. Snow is expected to cease heading into Thursday with rain instead predicted before 1 p.m.
    Matt Hubbard, Baltimore Sun, 9 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Independent Budget Analyst Charles Modica questioned the city’s failure to simultaneously offer a long-term plan on how to pay for the shelter.
    U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Feb. 2025
  • Adding the dominant 7-footer was considered a financial risk to some, but Saperstein paid a substantial amount in the $50,000 range for Chamberlain to wear a Globetrotters uniform, according to Hill.
    Zach Powell, The Athletic, 14 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • However, the director departed the film just over a year later, and the project remains in limbo.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2025
  • Shoring up the left and right tackle spots are of the utmost priority for L.A., and Conerly would fit a plug-and-play role for a team that, should Jackson depart, needs a Day-1 starter at left tackle.
    Zac Jackson, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Though the old stadium was closed in 2008, the new stadium was built across the street, and the wind behaves similarly there.
    Brendan Kuty, The Athletic, 17 Feb. 2025
  • The accounts might behave similarly to Roth individual retirement accounts, which offer no tax break for contributions but provide tax-free withdrawals (if certain requirements are met).
    Ann Carrns, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near quit

Cite this Entry

“Quit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quit. Accessed 23 Feb. 2025.

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