Library / English Dictionary

QUIT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected forms: quitted    , quitting   

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Give up in the face of defeat of lacking hope; admit defeat

Example:

In the second round, the challenger gave up

Synonyms:

chuck up the sponge; drop by the wayside; drop out; fall by the wayside; give up; quit; throw in; throw in the towel

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

quitter (a person who gives up too easily)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Go away or leave

Synonyms:

depart; quit; take leave

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "quit" is one way to...):

go away; go forth; leave (go away from a place)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "quit"):

walk out of (leave, usually as an expression of disapproval)

congee (depart after obtaining formal permission)

beat a retreat (depart hastily)

plump out (depart suddenly)

break camp; decamp (leave a camp)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s PP

Sense 3

Meaning:

Turn away from; give up

Example:

I am foreswearing women forever

Synonyms:

foreswear; quit; relinquish; renounce

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Hypernyms (to "quit" is one way to...):

abandon; give up (give up with the intent of never claiming again)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "quit"):

disclaim (renounce a legal claim or title to)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 4

Meaning:

Give up or retire from a position

Example:

The chairman resigned over the financial scandal

Synonyms:

leave office; quit; resign; step down

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "quit" is one way to...):

depart; leave; pull up stakes (remove oneself from an association with or participation in)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "quit"):

fall (lose office or power)

top out (give up one's career just as one becomes very successful)

retire (go into retirement; stop performing one's work or withdraw from one's position)

give up; renounce; resign; vacate (leave (a job, post, or position) voluntarily)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Sense 5

Meaning:

Put an end to a state or an activity

Example:

Quit teasing your little brother

Synonyms:

cease; discontinue; give up; lay off; quit; stop

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "quit"):

drop; knock off (stop pursuing or acting)

leave off (stop using)

sign off (cease broadcasting; get off the air; as of radio stations)

retire; withdraw (withdraw from active participation)

pull the plug (prevent from happening or continuing)

close off; shut off (stem the flow of)

cheese (used in the imperative (get away, or stop it))

call it a day; call it quits (stop doing what one is doing)

break (give up)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s VERB-ing

Sentence example:

They quit moving

Credits

 Context examples: 

If you smoke, quitting can help prevent you from getting the disease.

(Emphysema, NIH)

It is not yet known whether e-cigarettes are safe or if they can be used to help smokers quit smoking.

(E-cigarette, NCI Dictionary)

It may be used to help relieve stress, anxiety, and pain, and to help a person quit smoking or lose weight.

(Hypnosis, NCI Dictionary)

They are also used to help relieve symptoms that occur when a person is trying to quit smoking.

(Inhaler, NCI Dictionary)

A substance being studied to see if it can help people quit smoking or keep them from starting again.

(Nicotine vaccine, NCI Dictionary)

For example, a chronic cough may get better when a person quits smoking.

(Chronic cough, NCI Dictionary)

We've only just started, and we can't quit at the beginning.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

Elizabeth did not quit her room for a moment; nor were the other ladies often absent; the gentlemen being out, they had, in fact, nothing to do elsewhere.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

Gentlemen and ladies alike had quitted their beds; and "Oh! what is it?"—"Who is hurt?

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

He thanked her for her fears, and said that he had quitted it for a week, on the very morning after his having had the pleasure of seeing her.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)