quarter

1. 1

   A fourth part of something.; Each of four equal parts into which something can be divided; a fourth part.broadlycountableuncountable

   • I ate a quarter of the pizza.
2. 2

   A fourth part of something.; A measure of capacity used chiefly for grain or coal, varying greatly in quantity by time and location.countablehistoricaluncountable

   • 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.
3. 3

   A fourth part of something.; A fourth part of a pound; approximately 113 grams.countableuncountable

4. 4

   A fourth part of something.; A measure of length; originally a fourth part of an ell, now chiefly a fourth part of a yard.countablehistoricaluncountable

5. 5

   A fourth part of something.; A fourth part of the night; one of the watches or divisions of the night.countablehistoricaluncountable

   • And aboute the fourth quartre of the nyght, he cam unto them, walkinge apon the see [...].
6. 6

   A fourth part of something.; A fourth part of the year; 3 months; a term or season.countableuncountable

   • 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.
7. 7

   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.countableuncountable

   • 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 p
8. 8

   A fourth part of something.; A fourth part of a hundredweight.countablehistoricaluncountable

9. 9

   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.countableuncountable

10. 10

    A fourth part of something.; A quarter-dollar, divided into 25 cents; the coin of that value minted in the United States or Canada.CanadaUScountable

syn. trimester · cour

1. 1

   Pertaining to an aspect of a quarter.not-comparable

2. 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. 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.
   • A quarter session is one held quarterly at the end of a quarter.

ant. quadruple

1. 1

   To divide into quarters; to divide by four.transitive

2. 2

   To provide housing for (usually military personnel or equipment).transitive

   • Quarter the horses in the third stable.
3. 3

   To lodge; to have a temporary residence.intransitive

4. 4

   To quartersaw.transitive

   • But there is, as in other woods, a great deal of difference between this and the quartered timber.
5. 5

   To execute (someone) by tying each limb to a different animal (such as a horse) and driving them in different directions.historicaltransitive

6. 6

   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
7. 7

   To range to and fro over an area; to move from point to point.transitive

syn. stop

ant. quadruple

1. 1

   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