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quit

v.
B1 Intermediate Oxford US //ˈkwɪt// UK //kwˈɪt// quit Archaic General-service

v. to stop doing something, like a job or a habit. In computing, you use this to close a program or an app.

v. to cease an activity or leave a position of employment; in a computing context, to terminate a running process or application. Often used as a synonym for 'exit' or 'close' in software interfaces.


SIMPLE

I decided to quit my job and travel the world.

CONTEXTUAL

You should save your work before you quit the application to avoid losing any data.

COMPLEX

The lead developer chose to quit the project after a series of disagreements regarding the software's architecture, leaving the team to find a replacement mid-cycle.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology 1

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.

Etymology 2

Probably of imitative origin.

Usage

The verb is transitive when referring to a job or a program, but can be intransitive when referring to the general act of stopping.

Pitfall

I quit from my jobI quit my jobQuit is a transitive verb in this context and does not require the preposition 'from'.

Idioms3 entries

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