Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
quit
quit S3 /kwɪt/ BrE AmE verb (past tense and past participle quit, also quitted British English, present participle quitting)
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: quiter, from quite 'at rest, free of', from Latin quietus; ⇨ ↑quiet1]
1. [intransitive and transitive] informal to leave a job, school etc, especially without finishing it completely:
He quit his job after an argument with a colleague.
I quit school at 16.
She has decided to quit show business.
People are now calling on the chairman to quit.
2. [intransitive and transitive] especially American English to stop doing something, especially something that is bad or annoying ⇨ give up:
The majority of smokers say that they would like to quit the habit.
Quit it, Robby, or I’ll tell mom!
We’ve done what we can. Let’s quit.
quit doing something
He’s been given six months to live if he doesn’t quit drinking.
I wish you’d all quit complaining.
3. [intransitive and transitive] British English law to leave a house or apartment that you have been renting:
The landlord gave them notice to quit the premises within seven days.
4. be quit of something British English formal to no longer have to suffer or be involved with something bad:
The people now long to be quit of war.
5. [transitive] formal to leave a place:
It was ten years since he had quit Russia.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
quit
quit [quit quits quitted quitting] [kwɪt] [kwɪt] verb (quit·ting, quit, quit)(BrE also quit·ting, quit·ted, quit·ted)
1. intransitive, transitive (informal) to leave your job, school, etc
• If I don't get more money I'll quit.
• ~ as sth He has decided to quit as manager of the team.
• ~ sth He quit the show last year because of bad health.
• (NAmE) She quit school at 16.
2. transitive, intransitive (informal, especially NAmE) to stop doing sth
• ~ doing sth I've quit smoking.
• ~ (sth) Just quit it!
• We only just started. We're not going to quit now.
3. transitive, intransitive ~ (sth) to leave the place where you live
• We decided it was time to quit the city.
• The landlord gave them all notice to quit.
4. intransitive, transitive ~ (sth) to close a computer program or application
Verb forms:
Word Origin:
Middle English (in the sense ‘set free’): from Old French quiter (verb), quite (adjective), from Latin quietus, past participle of quiescere ‘be still’, from quies ‘quiet’.
Example Bank:
• I thought about working part-time, or quitting altogether.
• I'm still trying to quit smoking.
• In this job you have to know when to quit.
• Landlords are normally required to give 28 days' written notice to quit.
• Their longest-serving employee is threatening to quit over pay.
• He was forced to quit college and find work.
• I decide to quit town and lie low for a while.
• If I don't get more money I'll quit.
• The family has been given notice to quit.
• We only just started. We're not going to quit now.
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
quit
quit /kwɪt/
verb [I or T] quitting, quit, quit
to stop doing something or leave a job or a place:
Would you quit your job if you inherited lots of money?
[+ ing form of verb] I'm going to quit smoking.
Quit wasting my time!
Press Q to quit the program.
quitter /ˈkwɪt.əʳ/ US /ˈkwɪţ.ɚ/
noun [C] DISAPPROVING
a person who gives up easily instead of finishing something:
I'm no quitter.
Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
quit
[kwɪ̱t]
quits, quitting
(The form quit is used in the present tense and is the past tense and past participle.)
1) VERB If you quit your job, you choose to leave it. [INFORMAL]
[V n] He quit his job as an office boy in Athens...
He figured he would quit before Johnson fired him.
2) VERB If you quit an activity or quit doing something, you stop doing it. [mainly AM]
[V n/-ing] A nicotine spray can help smokers quit the habit without putting on weight...
[V n/-ing] I was trying to quit smoking at the time.
Syn:
give up
3) VERB If you quit a place, you leave it completely and do not go back to it.
[V n] Science fiction writers have long dreamt that humans might one day quit the earth to colonise other planets...
[V n] Police were called when he refused to quit the building.
4) PHRASE: V inflects If you say that you are going to call it quits, you mean that you have decided to stop doing something or being involved in something.
They raised $630,000 through listener donations, and then called it quits...
You can decide whether there is hope in working for mutual happiness, or if you should call it quits.