quarterback

1 of 2

noun

quar·​ter·​back ˈkwȯ(r)-tər-ˌbak How to pronounce quarterback (audio)
1
: an offensive back in football who usually lines up behind the center, calls the signals, and directs the offensive play of the team
2
: one who directs and leads

quarterback

2 of 2

verb

quarterbacked; quarterbacking; quarterbacks

transitive verb

1
: to direct the offensive play of
quarterback a football team
2
: to give executive direction to : boss
quarterbacked the original buying syndicateTime

intransitive verb

: to play quarterback

Examples of quarterback in a Sentence

Verb He quarterbacked his high school team. She quarterbacked the company's latest ad campaign.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Arapahoe kicker Lincoln Peterson drilled a pair of field goals and senior quarterback Mitchell Price threw two TD passes, the last a 25-yard strike to senior Tyson Watson that gave the Warriors (8-4) a 20-17 lead in the final frame. Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 17 Nov. 2024 While Derick Hall’s team-high five sacks all came in Seattle’s first five games, the Seahawks’ most potent pass rusher is interior force Leonard Williams, who has 14 quarterback hits and 2 ½ sacks but also has a foot injury that kept him out of Wednesday’s practice after the bye. Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 16 Nov. 2024
Verb
The latest is to quarterback Dak Prescott, who suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024 Without his top-two star receivers, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud struggled to get anything going in his last game against the swarming New York Jets. Jesse Reed, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for quarterback 

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1892, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of quarterback was in 1879

Dictionary Entries Near quarterback

Cite this Entry

“Quarterback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quarterback. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

quarterback

noun
quar·​ter·​back
ˈkwȯ(r)t-ər-ˌbak
: an offensive football back who calls the signals and directs the offensive play of the team
quarterback verb

More from Merriam-Webster on quarterback

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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