What does "quarter" mean?
A fourth part of something.; Each of four equal parts into which something can be divided; a fourth part.
Quarter
/ˈk(w)ɔː.tə/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A fourth part of something.; Each of four equal parts into which something can be divided; a fourth part.
- Grammar: quarter is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: fourth part, abode, abundant year, academic year.
- Useful contrasts: quadruple, annually, banknote.
- Usage evidence: Corporate earnings in the first quarter improved sharply.
How to use "quarter"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "quarter" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
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Meaning check
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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 "quarter" in a final draft.
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Before you rely on this definition
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 A fourth part of something.; Each of four equal parts into which something can be divided; a fourth part. broadly, countable, uncountable
"I ate a quarter of the pizza."
- 2 clemency or mercy shown to a defeated opponent wordnet
- 3 A fourth part of something.; A measure of capacity used chiefly for grain or coal, varying greatly in quantity by time and location. countable, historical, uncountable
"One of these is 1 Hen. V, cap. 10, defining the quarter of corn to be eight struck bushels, and putting fines on purveyors who take more."
- 4 piece of leather that comprises the part of a shoe or boot covering the heel and joining the vamp wordnet
- 5 A fourth part of something.; A fourth part of a pound; approximately 113 grams. countable, uncountable
Show 35 more definitions
- 6 the rear part of a ship wordnet
- 7 A fourth part of something.; A measure of length; originally a fourth part of an ell, now chiefly a fourth part of a yard. countable, historical, uncountable
- 8 a district of a city having some distinguishing character wordnet
- 9 A fourth part of something.; A fourth part of the night; one of the watches or divisions of the night. countable, historical, uncountable
"And aboute the fourth quartre of the nyght, he cam unto them, walkinge apon the see [...]."
- 10 an unspecified person wordnet
- 11 A fourth part of something.; A fourth part of the year; 3 months; a term or season. countable, uncountable
"The FBI began publishing national quarterly crime reports last year, but has not done so for the first two quarters of 2021, stating that they require at least 60% of agencies to submit NIBRS data in order to publish quarterly data."
- 12 a United States or Canadian coin worth one fourth of a dollar wordnet
- 13 A fourth part of something.; A fourth part of an hour; a period of fifteen minutes, especially with reference to the quarter before or after the hour. countable, uncountable
"An interesting feature of the church is the invisible clock, which you can hear thumping away as you enter. Constructed in 1525, it is one of the oldest timepieces in England. It chimes the hours and the quarters, and every three hours it plays a hymn. But it has no faces."
- 14 a quarter of a hundredweight (28 pounds) wordnet
- 15 A fourth part of something.; A fourth part of a hundredweight. countable, historical, uncountable
- 16 a quarter of a hundredweight (25 pounds) wordnet
- 17 A fourth part of something.; A fourth part of a coat of arms, or the charge on it, larger than a canton and normally on the upper dexter side, formed by a perpendicular line from the top meeting a horizontal line from the side. countable, uncountable
- 18 one of four equal parts wordnet
- 19 A fourth part of something.; A quarter-dollar, divided into 25 cents; the coin of that value minted in the United States or Canada. Canada, US, countable, uncountable
- 20 one of the four major division of the compass wordnet
- 21 A fourth part of something.; One of four equal periods into which a game is divided. countable, uncountable
- 22 a fourth part of a year; three months wordnet
- 23 A fourth part of something.; A quarter of an acre or 40 roods. countable, historical, uncountable
- 24 one of four periods into which the school year is divided wordnet
- 25 Place or position.; A region or place. countable, uncountable
"I am to haste, / And all who under me thir Banners wave, / Homeward with flying march where we possess / The Quarters of the North […]."
- 26 a unit of time equal to 15 minutes or a quarter of an hour wordnet
- 27 Place or position.; Each of four parts into which the earth or sky is divided, corresponding to the four cardinal points of the compass. countable, uncountable
- 28 (football, professional basketball) one of four divisions into which some games are divided wordnet
- 29 Place or position.; A division or section of a town or city, especially having a particular character of its own, or associated with a particular group etc. countable, uncountable
- 30 Place or position.; One's residence or dwelling-place; (in plural) rooms, lodgings, especially as allocated to soldiers or domestic staff. countable, uncountable
- 31 Place or position.; A topic or area of endeavour. archaic, countable, figuratively, uncountable
"“I'll tell you something, too,” retorted the captain, duskily flushing. “I wouldn't sail this ship for the man you are, if you went upon your knees. I've dealt with gentlemen up to now.” “I can tell you the names of a number of gentlemen you'll never deal with any more, and that's the whole of Longhurst's gang,” said Jim. “I'll put your pipe out in that quarter, my friend. Here, rout out your traps as quick as look at it, and take your vermin along with you. I'll have a captain in, this very night, that's a sailor, and some sailors to work for him.”"
- 32 Place or position.; The aftmost part of a vessel's side, roughly from the last mast to the stern. countable, uncountable
"I was one morning walking the deck, when Rogers, whose watch it was, sitting upon the quarter, called to me in his usual style, ‘Come here, Bill.’"
- 33 Place or position.; The part on either side of a horse's hoof between the toe and heel, the side of its coffin. countable, uncountable
"[A]t last she kicked right over the carriage pole and fell down, after giving me a severe blow on my near quarter."
- 34 The back and sides of the upper of a shoe, extending around the wearer's heel to meet the vamp. countable, uncountable
- 35 A section (of a population), especially one having a particular set of values or interests. countable, often, plural, uncountable
"We got help form every quarter."
- 36 Relations between people. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"In quarter, and in terms like bride and groom."
- 37 Accommodation given to a defeated opponent; mercy; exemption from being killed. countable, uncountable
"Hard fighting and long labour they had still; for the Southrons were bold men and grim, and fierce in despair, and the Easterlings were strong and war-hardened and asked for no quarter."
- 38 A quarterback. abbreviation, archaic, countable, uncountable
- 39 A quartermaster; a quartermaster sergeant. abbreviation, archaic, countable, slang, uncountable
"Tietjens said: ‘Send the Canadian sergeant-major to me at the double….’ to the quarter."
- 40 A quarterfinal. abbreviation, countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To divide into quarters; to divide by four. transitive
- 2 To drive a carriage so as to prevent the wheels from going into the ruts, or so that a rut shall be between the wheels. obsolete
"Every creature that met us would rely upon us for quartering"
- 3 divide by four; divide into quarters wordnet
- 4 To provide housing for military personnel or other equipment. transitive
"Quarter the horses in the third stable."
- 5 divide into quarters wordnet
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 To lodge; to have a temporary residence. intransitive
- 7 pull (a person) apart with four horses tied to their extremities, so as to execute them wordnet
- 8 To quartersaw. transitive
"But there is, as in other woods, a great deal of difference between this and the quartered timber."
- 9 provide housing for (military personnel) wordnet
- 10 To execute (someone) by tying each limb to a different animal (such as a horse) and driving them in different directions. historical, transitive
- 11 To display different coats of arms in the quarters of a shield.
"It [the Central London Railway] assumed a modest and entirely heraldic device, quartering the arms of the City of London, the parishes of St. George's, Holborn (St. George and the dragon) and St. Marylebone (the Virgin and Child between two lilies […]), and the county of Middlesex, surmounted by the dragon's wing from the City's crest."
- 12 To range to and fro over an area; to move from point to point. transitive
Adjective
- 1 Pertaining to an aspect of a quarter. not-comparable
- 2 Consisting of a fourth part, a quarter (¹⁄₄, 25%). not-comparable
"a quarter hour; a quarter century; a quarter note; a quarter pound"
- 3 Related to a three-month term, a quarter of a year. not-comparable
"A quarter day is one terminating a quarter of the year."
Proper Noun
- 1 A village in South Lanarkshire council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NS7251).
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Corporate earnings in the first quarter improved sharply."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "quarter"?
Common synonyms include: fourth part, abode, abundant year, academic year, accommodate, accommodated.
How do you use "quarter" in a sentence?
Corporate earnings in the first quarter improved sharply.
How do you pronounce "quarter"?
Pronounced /ˈk(w)ɔː.tə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English quarter, from Anglo-Norman quarter, from Latin quartarius, from quartus. Compare Spanish cuarto (“room, quarters; quarter”). Doublet of quartier.
Etymology 2
Borrowed from French cartayer.