Definition of “quarter” - English Dictionary

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“quarter” in English

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quarternoun

uk ​ /ˈkwɔː.tər/ us ​ /ˈkwɑː.t̬ɚ/

quarter noun (FOURTH PART)

A2 [ C ] one of four equal or almost equal parts of something; ¼:

He cut the orange into quarters.
Under a quarter of people questioned said that they were happily married.
My house is situated a mile and three-quarters from here.
a quarter of an hour

› 15 minutes:

I waited a quarter of an hour and then went home.
I was there three-quarters of an hour.
an hour and three-quarters
a quarter to two, three, etc. A1 also US a quarter of two, three, etc.

› 15 minutes before two, three, etc.:

It was a quarter to six when I left.
a quarter past two, three, etc. A1 also US a quarter after two, three, etc.

› 15 minutes after two, three, etc.:

I'll meet you at a quarter past five.

› [ C ] one of four periods of time into which a year is divided for financial calculations, such as for profits or taxes:

There was a fall in unemployment in the second quarter of the year.
I get an electricity bill every quarter.

› [ C ] one of four periods in a game of American football and other ball sports

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quarter noun (PEOPLE)

› [ C ] one or more people who provide help, information, or a particular reaction to something but who are not usually named:

Help came from an unexpected quarter.
There is a feeling in certain/some quarters (= some people consider) that a change is needed.

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quarter noun (FORGIVENESS)

› [ U ] literary the fact of being kind towards or forgiving an enemy or opponent:

We can expect no quarter from our enemies.
He gave no quarter to anyone that disappointed him.

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quarterverb

uk ​ /ˈkwɔː.tər/ us ​ /ˈkwɑː.t̬ɚ/

(Definition of “quarter” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

“quarter” in American English

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quarternoun [ C ]

us ​ /ˈkwɔr·t̬ər/

quarter noun [ C ] (FOURTH PART)

› one of four equal or almost equal parts of something:

My house is one and three-quarter miles/a mile and three-quarters from here.

› A quarter of/to the hour means 15 minutes before the stated hour:

It’s a quarter to three.

› A quarter past/after the hour means 15 minutes after the stated hour:

I’ll meet you at a quarter past five.

› A quarter is one of four equal or nearly equal periods of time into which an activity is divided:

Many universities divide the school year into quarters rather than two semesters.

quarter noun [ C ] (MONEY)

› in the US and Canada, a coin worth 25 cents

quarter noun [ C ] (AREA)

› an area of a city or place having a special history or character:

We stayed in the French Quarter in New Orleans.

quarterverb [ T ]

us ​ /ˈkwɔr·t̬ər/

quarter verb [ T ] (DIVIDE INTO FOUR)

› to divide something into four pieces of approximately the same size:

Peel and quarter the tomatoes and put them in the stew.

(Definition of “quarter” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

“quarter” in Business English

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quarternoun [ C ]

uk ​ /ˈkwɔːtər/ us ​ abbreviation Q, abbreviation qtr

› FINANCE, ACCOUNTING a period of three months in a company's financial year:

Sales have climbed significantly each quarter.
Unquoted companies accounted for 23% of assets at the end of the last quarter.
first/second/third quarter The fall was 8% in the first quarter and only 2% in the second.

(Definition of “quarter” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Blogs about "quarter"

Three and three quarters: How to say numbers (2)

by Liz Walter,

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