first quarter

American  

noun

Astronomy.

1. the instant, approximately one week after a new moon, when one half of the moon's disk is illuminated by the sun.

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first quarter British  

noun

1. one of the four principal phases of the moon, occurring between new moon and full moon, when half of the lighted surface is visible from earth Compare last quarter

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Etymology

Origin of first quarter

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

At their last meeting, held Jan. 4, the group of eight reaffirmed their decision to pause production increases through the first quarter of 2026.

From MarketWatch

“A renewed pick-up in CPI core goods prices in the first quarter, after they flatlined in the fourth quarter, looks likely.”

From Barron's

Visa reported better-than-expected earnings and revenue for its fiscal first quarter, boosted by resilient consumer spending and a strong holiday season.

From Barron's

Exxon said it could see production dip in the first quarter, due to potential volume impacts from more-than-anticipated outages in Kazakhstan and the impacts from the recent winter storm.

From MarketWatch

American Express also said it would increase its dividend by 16% to 95 cents a share, beginning in the first quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal