quit
- 01 B1 Intermediate
v.to stop doing something, especially a habit or a difficult task.
v.to cease a particular action or habit. Often used with a gerund or as an intransitive verb.
Simple“He decided to quit smoking for the sake of his health.”
In context“After years of frustration with the project's lack of progress, the lead researcher finally decided to quit and pursue other interests.”
PitfallI quit to smoke last year. I quit smoking last year.The verb 'quit' is followed by the -ing form (gerund), not the infinitive.
- 02 B1 Intermediate
v.to tell your employer that you are leaving your job.
v.to resign from a position of employment or office.
Simple“She quit her job because she wanted to travel the world.”
In context“The CEO unexpectedly quit following the board's decision to restructure the entire international division.”
- 03 B1 Intermediate
v.to close a computer application or software.
v.to terminate a running software application or process.
Simple“Make sure you save your work before you quit the program.”
In context“If the application becomes unresponsive, you may need to force the system to quit the process manually.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
v.to leave a place permanently.
v.to depart from or leave a location. Often carries a formal or literary tone in modern usage.
Simple“The soldiers were ordered to quit the fort by midnight.”
In context“The tenant was served a formal notice to quit the premises within thirty days due to unpaid rent.”
- 05 C2 Proficiency
adj.to be finished with or free from something annoying.
adj.released from an obligation, debt, or unpleasant situation; typically used in the phrase 'be quit of'.
Simple“I am glad to be quit of that troublesome business at last.”
In context“Having settled the final accounts, the executor was finally quit of his responsibilities to the estate.”
UsageUsually follows the verb 'to be' and takes the preposition 'of'.
From Middle English quiten, quyten, from Anglo-Norman quitter, Old French quitter, from quitte (“acquitted, quit”), ultimately from Latin quietus, which itself derives from Proto-Indo-European kʷyéh₁-ti-s, from kʷyeh₁- (“to rest”). Doublet of coy, quite, quiet, and quietus. Compare Dutch kwijten (“to quit”), German Low German quitten (“to quit”), German quitten, quittieren, Danish kvitte, Swedish qvitta, kvitta (“to quit, leave, set off”), Icelandic kvitta.
Probably of imitative origin.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.