Exit

/ˈeɪɡzɪt/ noun, verb

noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: An act of going out or going away, or leaving; a departure.
  • Grammar: exit is listed as noun, verb.
  • Nearest alternatives: departure, outlet, abandonment, absence without leave.
  • Useful contrasts: looping step, public institution board, access.
  • Usage evidence: Please use this exit when there is a fire.

How to use "exit"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "exit" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "exit" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "exit" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "exit" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "exit" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "departure" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "exit", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An act of going out or going away, or leaving; a departure.

    "He made his exit at the opportune time."

  2. 2
    Acronym of ex utero intrapartum treatment, a specialized surgical procedure used to deliver babies who have airway compression. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
  3. 3
    the act of going out wordnet
  4. 4
    An act of going out or going away, or leaving; a departure.; The action of an actor leaving a scene or the stage. specifically

    "All the world's a ſtage, / And all the men and women, meerely Players; / They haue their Exits and their Entrances, / And one man in his time playes many parts, / His Acts being ſeuen ages."

  5. 5
    an opening that permits escape or release wordnet
Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    A way out.; An opening or passage through which one can go from inside a place (such as a building, a room, or a vehicle) to the outside; an egress.

    "emergency exit    fire exit"

  2. 7
    euphemistic expressions for death wordnet
  3. 8
    A way out.; A minor road (such as a ramp or slip road) which is used to leave a major road (such as an expressway, highway, or motorway).

    "When signs are erected giving notice thereof, no person shall drive a vehicle onto or from any controlled access highway except at such entrances and exits as have been designated by the department."

  4. 9
    The act of departing from life; death. euphemistic, figuratively, often

    "the untimely exit of a respected politician"

Verb
  1. 1
    To go out or go away from a place or situation; to depart, to leave. intransitive

    "Come, good Remus, our men await us. Let the lion roar and roam to-day; he may be of service; to-morrow, perchance we'll chain him. [Exit Stephano right fourth entrance. Soft music. Remus, exiting, looks hard at Romulus. Exit Remus right fourth entrance.]"

  2. 2
    Used as a stage direction for an actor: to leave the scene or stage. also, figuratively, intransitive

    "I take no monie, but good vvordes, raile not if I tell true, if I doe not reuenge. Farevvell. Exit Bom[bie]."

  3. 3
    pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life wordnet
  4. 4
    To go out or go away from a place or situation; to depart, to leave.; To leave a scene or depart from a stage. intransitive

    "Desdemona exits stage left."

  5. 5
    lose the lead wordnet
Show 6 more definitions
  1. 6
    To depart from life; to die. euphemistic, intransitive, often
  2. 7
    move out of or depart from wordnet
  3. 8
    To end or terminate (a program, subroutine, etc.) ambitransitive

    "Common Lisp provides a facility for exiting from a complex process in a non-local, dynamically scoped manner."

  4. 9
    To depart from or leave (a place or situation). also, figuratively, transitive

    "At approximately 10:35 a.m. said John Doe exited 110 East 36th Street without the brown paper bag. [...] On four occasions, said John Doe was observed exiting 110 East 36th Street and observed on two occasions entering apartment actually marked 71, but meaning apartment 710 on seventh floor of 150 East 35th Street."

  5. 10
    To depart from or leave (a place or situation).; To alight or disembark from a vehicle. also, figuratively, specifically, transitive

    "When Walsh exited the "Q" train, he walked three blocks underground on the concourse which took him into the World Trade Center, the twin towers which highlight the skyline of lower Manhattan."

  6. 11
    To give up the lead. intransitive

    "West now plays a low club to the J and Q. North exits in a trump."

Synonyms

All synonyms
departureoutletabandonmentabsence without leaveabsquatulationaccess

Antonyms

looping steppublic institution boardaccessaccesses

Example

"Please use this exit when there is a fire."

Common questions

What does "exit" mean?

An act of going out or going away, or leaving; a departure.

What is a synonym for "exit"?

Common synonyms include: departure, outlet, abandonment, absence without leave, absquatulation, access.

How do you use "exit" in a sentence?

Please use this exit when there is a fire.

How do you pronounce "exit"?

Pronounced /ˈeɪɡzɪt/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

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.

Etymology 2

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 3

Chosen for relation to exit.

More for "exit"

Synonyms

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