1
: a proportional part or share
especially
: the share or proportion assigned to each in a division or to each member of a body
2
: the number or amount constituting a proportional share
3
: a fixed number or percentage of minority group members or women needed to meet the requirements of affirmative action
Synonyms
Examples of quota in a Sentence
The agency imposes strict fishing quotas.
The company has imposed quotas on hiring.
He lost his driver's license because he exceeded the quota of traffic violations.
The department set new sales quotas in January.
Recent Examples on the Web
Also known as the Johnson-Reed Act, this legislation—of which the current year marks a grim centennial—set up a restrictive quota system, indiscriminately targeting for exclusion entire continental regions and preventing hundreds of thousands of people from making a home in the U.S.
—
Arthur Caplan, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2024
The result is that too many reps fail to hit quota, and organizations fail to develop next quarter’s pipeline.
—Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 17 Oct. 2024
There was no discussion about quotas or raising the profile of Asian women into leadership roles.
—Dr. Shaheena Janjuha-Jivraj, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
Most crucially, the abandonment of an exhibition quota, is already decimating Argentine movies’ theatrical runs.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 27 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for quota 
Arthur Caplan, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2024
The result is that too many reps fail to hit quota, and organizations fail to develop next quarter’s pipeline.
—Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 17 Oct. 2024
There was no discussion about quotas or raising the profile of Asian women into leadership roles.
—Dr. Shaheena Janjuha-Jivraj, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
Most crucially, the abandonment of an exhibition quota, is already decimating Argentine movies’ theatrical runs.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 27 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for quota
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quota.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near quota
Cite this Entry
“Quota.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quota. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
quota
noun
quo·ta
ˈkwōt-ə 
1
: a share or part assigned to each member of a group
2
: the number or amount making up a quota
Legal Definition
quota
noun
quo·ta
ˈkwō-tə
1
: a proportional part or share assigned to each in a body
2
: a specific amount that serves as a minimum or maximum
a law against traffic ticket quotas
Etymology
Medieval Latin, from Latin quota pars how great a part
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