Use of the verb exit

Question

Does the verb exit need the preposition from? I.e., is exit a program correct,or would it be more correct to use exit from a program? Is the transitive use (exit students from a program) ever correct, even though Webster specifies intransitive?

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,
Does the verb exit need the preposition from? I.e., is exit a program correct,or would it be more correct to use exit from a program? Both are OK.

Is the transitive use (exit students from a program) ever correct, even though Webster specifies intransitive? I've never heard that. It just sounds wrong to me.

Clive

Avangi · Answer

Personally, I exit the freeway. I think it's intransitive, like "sleep the night away."
"I exited this guy from my class" seems very wrong to me!

(Of course it's okay to exit from the freeway.)

Welcome to English Forums, Marty. Thanks for joining us, and Happy New Year! [<:o)]

Best wishes, - A.

Edit. You should probably wait for other opinions on this. Your dictionary conundrum is duly noted.

It seems strange that "to leave - to go away from" is transitive, and "to exit - to make one's exit" is not.
I now recall struggling with this before and coming to no satisfaction.
I suppose making hay is transitive and making do is not.

"To exit the freeway" is clearly idiomatic. It's used in the same way as "to leave." Perhaps your dictionary and mine are just slow to catch up with the times.

(But don't exit the student from the program! You can't "leave the student from the room!")

Anonymous · Answer

"Exit the room" is, at best, an extremely ugly and pretentious substitute for "leave the room."

Use of the verb exit

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions