Word
exit
Phoneticsex·it, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈɛɡzɪt/
UK/ˈɛɡzɪt/
Definitions
01a way out
A2 · Elementary Countable noun
n. a door, gate, or road that you use to leave a place.
n. a point of egress from an enclosed space, building, or vehicle.
“The emergency exit is located at the back of the cinema.”
“The fire marshal insisted that every emergency exit remain unobstructed and clearly illuminated throughout the duration of the performance.”
02leaving a place
B1 · Intermediate Countable noun
n. the act of leaving a place or a situation.
n. the act of departing from a location, position, or social situation.
“The actor made a quick exit after his final line in the play.”
“Her sudden exit from the meeting left the rest of the board members in a state of confused silence.”
Synonyms
03to leave a place
A2 · Elementary
v. to go out of a building, room, or vehicle.
v. to depart from a physical space; often used as an intransitive verb.
“Please wait for the train to stop completely before you exit.”
“The passengers were instructed to exit the aircraft via the inflatable slides during the emergency drill.”
Antonyms
04to close a program
B1 · Intermediate Computing
v. to stop using a computer program or app.
v. to terminate a software application or subroutine.
“Make sure you save your work before you exit the program.”
“The system crashed because the user attempted to exit the application while a large background process was still synchronising with the server.”
05theatre direction
B2 · Upper Intermediate Theater Formal · Literary
v. a word used in a play script to tell an actor to leave the stage.
v. a stage direction indicating that a character leaves the scene.
“The script says 'Exit Hamlet' at the end of the scene.”
“The stage manager noted that the protagonist should exit stage left to maintain the continuity of the following sequence.”
Antonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “exit” in context.
Verb
01. block the exit
“Please do not leave your luggage here as it might block the exit in an emergency.”
verb + noun
02. locate the nearest exit
“Passengers are advised to locate the nearest exit as soon as they board the aircraft.”
verb + adj + noun
03. make a hasty exit
“He made a hasty exit from the meeting after realizing he had forgotten his notes.”
verb + adj + noun
Adjective
04. emergency exit
“The emergency exit is located at the rear of the building and is clearly marked in red.”
adj + noun
05. graceful exit
“The CEO decided to retire early to ensure a graceful exit from the company.”
adj + noun
Noun
06. exit strategy
“The investors are looking for a clear exit strategy before they commit any more capital.”
noun + noun
07. fire exit
“You must keep the fire exit clear of all obstructions at all times.”
noun + noun
Preposition
08. towards the exit
“The crowd began to move slowly towards the exit once the concert had finished.”
prep + noun
Real-World Examples
“I find myself wondering what might come next, and where the nearest exits are.” “In fact, it arrives so early it appears to have spent a negative amount of time inside the cloud – to exit, on average, before it enters.” Etymology
From Middle English exit, from Latin exitus (“departure, going out; way by which one may go out, egress; (figuratively) conclusion, termination; (figuratively) death; income, revenue”), from exeō (“to depart, exit; to avoid, evade; (figuratively) to escape; of time: to expire, run out”) + -tus (suffix forming action nouns from verbs). Exeō is derived from ex- (prefix meaning ‘out, away’) + eō (“to go”) (ultimately from ). The English word is cognate with Italian esito, Portuguese êxito, Spanish éxito. Doublet of ejido and exitus. The verb is derived from the noun.
Borrowed from Latin exit, the third-person singular present active indicative of exeō (“to depart, exit; to avoid, evade; (figuratively) to escape; of time: to expire, run out”); see further at etymology 1 above.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Idioms
01. exit stage left
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- B2 · Upper IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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