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quartet

American  
[kwawr-tet] / kwɔrˈtɛt /
especially British, quartette

noun

  1. any group of four persons or things.

  2. an organized group of four singers or players.

  3. a musical composition for four voices or instruments.

quartet British  
/ kwɔːˈtɛt /

noun

  1. a group of four singers or instrumentalists or a piece of music composed for such a group See string quartet

  2. any group of four

    a quartet of fast bowlers
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
quartet Cultural  

  1. A group of four musicians or singers; also, a piece of music for four instruments or voices.

Etymology

Origin of quartet

1765–75; < Italian quartetto, diminutive of quarto < Latin quartus fourth

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The scene where the quartet plays their pre-wedding parlor game occurs about 25 minutes into Borgli’s film, and is ripe with instrumental, pre-twist subtext.

From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026

That was the first time those three and Johnson had started together under Bellamy, and that quartet could do damage against a Bosnian defence that conceded a creditable seven goals in their eight qualifiers.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

Some would say Aston Villa have the easiest run-in of the quartet.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

Published in 1860, the book follows a quartet of bohemians in Rome, two European and two American, and stands as an insightful study of our national character.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 28, 2026

And I was busy, much of my time spent practicing or playing in a string quartet or taking theory classes at the community college.

From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.