Meaning & use
exit
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Meanings
nouncountable
A door, passage or opening through which people leave a building, room or vehicle.
Grammar: Countable: the nearest exit, two fire exits.
Patterns
- an exit from something
- the exit to something
Please walk calmly to the nearest exit.
The cinema has two exits on either side of the screen.
There is an emergency exit at the back of the bus.
nouncountable
A road where traffic leaves a motorway or highway.
Grammar: Often numbered: take exit 12.
Patterns
- take the exit
- exit for something
Take the next exit for the airport.
We missed our exit and had to drive another ten miles.
nouncountable
The act of leaving, such as a person going off stage or quitting a group or job.
Grammar: Often singular with make or a possessive: make an exit.
Patterns
- make an exit
- someone's exit from something
The actor made a dramatic exit through the curtains.
Her sudden exit from the company surprised everyone.
The country's exit from the trade agreement caused debate.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To leave a place, a vehicle or a computer program.
Grammar: Can take an object (exit the building) or stand alone (the actors exit).
Patterns
- exit something
- exit through something
Passengers should exit the train by the rear doors.
Press this key to exit the program.
The crowd began to exit as soon as the music stopped.
Word forms
| plural | exits |
|---|---|
| third person singular | exits |
| past tense | exited |
| -ing form | exiting |
Common combinations
- emergency exit
- The emergency exit was blocked by boxes.
- fire exit
- Keep the fire exit clear at all times.
- make an exit
- After the speech he made a quiet exit.
- exit strategy
- The investors want an exit strategy before the market falls.
- exit poll
- The exit poll suggested a close result.
- exit the program
- Save your work before you exit the program.
Synonyms and how they differ
- way out
- Way out is the everyday, spoken equivalent and works for any route, while exit is often the sign or official term.
- departure
- Departure stresses leaving on a journey, and it is not used for a doorway.
- leave
- Leave is the common verb for going away and works with people and places, whereas exit is slightly more formal or technical.
- egress
- Egress is a formal or legal word for the right or means of going out, and sounds stiff in ordinary talk.
Opposites
Word family
- exited verb
- past tense of exit
- exiting verb
- the -ing form, meaning in the act of leaving
- exit strategy noun
- a plan for leaving a situation or investment
- exeunt verb
- stage direction meaning several characters leave
Commonly confused: exit or exist? exit or egress?
exit vs exist
Exist means to be real or alive, while exit means to leave; they differ by only one letter and sound different.
exit vs egress
Egress is a rare formal word, while exit is the normal everyday term.
Practice
Which sentence uses exit as a verb?
Choose one answer.
In 'We exit the building' it is the action word with a subject and an object. In the other sentences exit is a noun, for a door, a road or an act of leaving.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “exit”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.