What does "quad" mean?
Clipping of quadrat.; A blank metal block used to fill short lines of type.
Quad
/kwɑd/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Clipping of quadrat.; A blank metal block used to fill short lines of type.
- Grammar: quad is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: quadrangle, arena, block, cincture.
- Useful contrasts: building interior, indoor space, joule.
- Usage evidence: Tom and Mary sat in chairs on the quad, reading.
How to use "quad"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "quad" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
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- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
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- 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 "quad" 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
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
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Final meaning check
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 Clipping of quadrat.; A blank metal block used to fill short lines of type. obsolete
"“Quadrats, sir. We call 'em quads.” […] Quads are the spaces left between the paragraphs that come white on the paper. If you look here, at this page that is set-up, you will see that they are deeper than the spaces left between the words and letters—regular little trenches."
- 2 a rectangular area surrounded on all sides by buildings wordnet
- 3 Clipping of quadrat.; A joke used to fill long days of setting type. obsolete, slang
- 4 (printing) a block of type without a raised letter; used for spacing between words or sentences wordnet
- 5 Clipping of quadrat.; A keyboard command which aligns text with the left or right margin, or centred between them. In combination, as quad left, quad right, or quad centre. obsolete
Show 23 more definitions
- 6 a muscle of the thigh that extends the leg wordnet
- 7 A quadrangle (quadrangular courtyard). informal
"Gilt-backed books on gilded shelf or table caught the eye, and as you turned your glance from the luxurious interiors to the well-shorn lawn in the Quad with its classic fountain also gilded by sunbeams, the mental vision saw plainly written over the whole "The Union of Luxury and Learning.""
- 8 one of four children born at the same time from the same pregnancy wordnet
- 9 A horse, from colloquial or humorous quadruped specifically for horse. colloquial, dated
"The quads is all right, barrin’ that the bay is blind o’ the left eye, and the chestnut a bit weak in the off fore."
- 10 Something that is quadruple (four times) the usual amount, number, etc.; A poster advertising a cinematic film release, measuring forty by thirty inches, four times the area of crown paper.
- 11 Something that is quadruple (four times) the usual amount, number, etc.; A quadruple, a jump with four revolutions in the air.
- 12 Something that is quadruple (four times) the usual amount, number, etc.; A serving of four shots of espresso; (attributive) containing four shots of espresso.
"A grande iced quad latte with milk is $6.65 + tax, whereas a quad over ice with milk added at the self-serve station is only $3.65 + tax"
- 13 Something that is quadruple (four times) the usual amount, number, etc.; A skate with four wheels.
"These are the quads I recommend for newbies."
- 14 Clipping of quadruplet (“a set of four; one of a set of four”). abbreviation, alt-of, clipping
"The Pair, Triples, and Quads can be formed with both Honor and Suit Tiles."
- 15 Clipping of quadruplet (“a set of four; one of a set of four”).; A group of four insulated wires twisted together to form two circuits of two wires each.
- 16 Clipping of quadruplet (“a set of four; one of a set of four”).; A quad antenna, a directional radio antenna consisting of multiple loop antennas.
- 17 Clipping of quadruplet (“a set of four; one of a set of four”).; A quadruplet, one of four babies born during the same birth. informal
"My husband Jim was home[…] and so were my children: Samantha, 4, and the quadruplets, Zachary, Danielle, Amanda, and Elisabeth. The quads were eighteen months old and in their usual fine form — singing, banging, pushing each other, and toddling into impossible places."
- 18 Clipping of quadruplet (“a set of four; one of a set of four”).; A kind of round-robin tournament between four players, where each participant plays every other participant once.
- 19 Clipping of quadruplet (“a set of four; one of a set of four”).; The Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price bound in a single volume. Mormonism
- 20 Clipping of quadruplet (“a set of four; one of a set of four”).; Of or relating to quads (four of a kind). attributive, slang
"Both players had four of a kind. A had quad fours; B had quad deuces."
- 21 The quadriceps muscle. informal
"Aesthetics aside, if you train your quads while neglecting your hamstrings, you're setting yourself up for an eventual injury."
- 22 Quadruplex videotape. informal
"The high band color quadruplex format is recommended for the following reasons: 1. Quad is now the accepted industry standard world-wide with over 90% of all television broadcast operations using this format for video recording."
- 23 A quadriplegic person. informal
"The worse was the realization that this was my new reality. This too was Bill's debut as a husband of a quad and his first social gathering since June 22."
- 24 A unit of energy equivalent to a quadrillion BTU (10¹⁵ BTU).
- 25 A small off-road four-wheeled powered vehicle, usually used for recreation or farm work.
"Cad was a ferocious driver of a quad, much given to wheelies, jumps and stunts in general."
- 26 A quadrilateral. informal
"System Rasterization Primitives • Polygons • Triangles, Trapezoids, Quads"
- 27 A quadcopter. informal
"Today you can buy quadrotor drones—also known as quadcopters—of just about any kind, for just about any price. The extremely wealthy can buy gold-plated quads, and the rest of us can buy tiny plastic ones."
- 28 A quadrupel beer. informal
"So what’s the beer for this great dish? You guessed it — Belgian quad. “I don’t usually pair the same beer with the one used in the recipe,” Bill explains, “but drinking a great quad with this dish really elevates both the food and the beer in a special way.”"
Verb
- 1 To fill spaces in a line of type with quads. Also quad out. intransitive, transitive
- 2 To align text with the left or right margin, or centre it. intransitive, transitive
- 3 To twist four individually insulated conductors together as two pairs of twisted wires that are then twisted together. transitive
"Can you "quad" the cable?"
- 4 To ride a quad bike. intransitive
"visibility was perfect and mud was plentiful for our quadding adventure."
Adjective
- 1 Quadruple, four times the usual size or quantity. not-comparable
"Printing Plant Machinery, Type, Material, Fittings, Stock-in-Trade, Paper, &c., including QUAD-CROWN CYLINDER MACHINE, With Flyers, Riders, &c., by Miller & Richard."
- 2 Quadrille, marked with squares. not-comparable
Proper Noun
- 1 An informal strategic forum between the United States, Japan, Australia, and India, focused on Asian security matters. informal
"China has seen it as a threat to its dominance in the region, saying the Quad is a U.S. attempt to create an Asian version of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization directly aimed at counterbalancing its interests."
- 2 A coalition committee that resolved party disputes during the Cameron–Clegg coalition. UK, historical
- 3 A grouping of the United States, Japan, Australia, and India. broadly
"But coordination in shifts in rates by global groupings like the Group of 7, the Indo-Pacific “Quad” and perhaps the Shangri-La Dialogue in Asia would send a powerful message."
Example
"Tom and Mary sat in chairs on the quad, reading."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "quad"?
Common synonyms include: quadrangle, arena, block, cincture, close, confine.
How do you use "quad" in a sentence?
Tom and Mary sat in chairs on the quad, reading.
How do you pronounce "quad"?
Pronounced /kwɑd/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Shortened, via clipping or abbreviation, from various English terms. Ultimately related to Latin quattuor (“4”); compare quadri-, quadruple. The typography senses are from the abbreviation quad. for obsolete quadrat; the keyboard command comes from the verb sense.
Etymology 2
Short for Quadrilateral Security Dialogue.