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
The 37-year-old journeyman quarterback missed all of last season with the Houston Texans after suffering a foot injury during the preseason. Sean Hammond, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2025 At least, that’s the theory those charged with protecting the franchise quarterback are buying. Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 2 June 2025
Verb
Second on the list was Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, who was sacked 52 times. Noah Camras, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 May 2025 After quarterbacking their power play throughout his long career, Doughty has been relegated to the second unit given how Andrei Kuzmenko injected life into the top group since the trade deadline. Eric Stephens, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Quarterback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quarterback. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.

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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