Business English Vocabulary: Phrase of the Week

Learn Business English vocabulary with 'Phrase of the Week.'

Here's this week's phrase:

QUIT COLD TURKEY

informal

to stop doing something suddenly and completely (for example, a habit or addiction, like smoking or drinking) or to leave a job without warning

After months of stress, she quit cold turkey and never looked back.

He never liked his corporate job. So, at the beginning of this year, he quit cold turkey and started his own business.

Did you know?

The verb "quit" is one of the rare irregular verbs in English that has the same form in the present, past, and past participle (quit, quit, quit). So whether you're talking about something you're doing now, did in the past, or have already done, "quit" stays the same!

Here are a few other ways to say "quit a job:"

• RESIGN from a job/ position

When you resign, it usually means you have given notice to your employer and followed the company's rules about leaving.

She resigned from her position last week.

• LEAVE a job

This is a general phrase that means to stop working at a job.

He decided to leave the company after five years.

• WALK AWAY from the job

This phrase is more casual and means that you leave a job, often because you no longer feel it's right for you.

After the project failed, she walked away from the job.

• STEP DOWN

This means to leave a job, especially one with a leadership role. The person is usually leaving voluntarily, perhaps because they want to give someone else the chance to lead.

The CEO stepped down after 10 years in charge.