In graphical user interface (GUI) and windowing systems, ESC generally causes an application to abort its current operation or to exit (terminate) altogether.
ɪn ɡɹˈæfɪkəl jˈuːzɚɹ ˈɪntɚfˌeɪs ɡˈuːi ænd wˈɪndoʊɪŋ sˈɪstəmz, ˌiːˌɛssˈiː dʒˈɛnɚɹəli kˈɔːzᵻz ɐn ˌæplɪkˈeɪʃən tʊ ɐbˈɔːɹt ɪts kˈɜːɹənt ˌɑːpɚɹˈeɪʃən ɔːɹ tʊ ˈɛɡzɪt tˈɜːmᵻnˌeɪt ˌɔːltəɡˈɛðɚ.