EN

Synonyms for quit

  • verb
  • noun

Most common

stop discontinue cease pay abandon renounce leave re-sign

Synonyms by meaning

Verb

1. Discontinue

stop, discontinue, cease, pay, give up, break off, free, move out, give over, end, break, drop, settle, desist formal, clear, liquidate, shelve, discharge, acquit

2. Abandon

abandon, renounce, relinquish, abdicate, withdraw, forsake, vacate, ditch, surrender, evacuate, desert, forswear

3. Take leave

leave, take leave, depart

4. Step down

re-sign, step down

Other

rid, requite, strike work dated, chuck informal dated

Noun

drop-out, throw-in, guitguit dated

Antonyms

start, begin, initiate

All antonyms of quit →

Definitions

  1. v. 1

    To leave (a place).

    The British quit India in the 1940s.

  2. v. 2

    To set at rest; to free, as from anything harmful or oppressive; to relieve; to clear; to liberate.

  3. v. 3

    To release from obligation, accusation, penalty, etc.; to absolve; to acquit.

  4. n. 1

    Any of numerous species of small passerine birds native to tropical America.

Related words

Word family
quitclaim quits quittal quitter
Phrases
quit scores
Is a kind of
desist end

Forms

Plural
quits → drop-outs, throw-ins, guitguits…
Past participle
quitted
e.g. quitted → stopped, discontinued, ceased, payed…

Choose the right word

Quit, Abandon, Give Up or Resign?

Quit carries an idea of suddenness or abruptness not necessarily implied in abandon, and may not have the same suggestion of finality. We quit business, give up property, resign office, abandon a habit or a trust.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

  • cease Very few countries could cease trading with China.
  • abandon Many Armenians were forced to abandon their lands.
  • renounce I renounce everything as long as I can be with you.

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
quitrising
ceasefalling
discontinuefalling
abandonsteady

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters
end1, pay1, rid1
4 letters
free1, stop1, drop1
5 letters
leave1, break1, clear1, chuck1, cease1, ditch1
6 letters
settle2, desert2, depart2, vacate2, desist2, acquit2, shelve1
7 letters
abandon3, forsake2, requite
8 letters
withdraw2, evacuate4, renounce2, abdicate3, forswear2, guitguit
9 letters
surrender3, discharge2, liquidate3
10 letters
relinquish3
11 letters
discontinue4

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (settle2 = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français
quitter
Italiano
abbandonare
Deutsch
verlassen