quarterback
Americannoun
-
quarterbacks
plural
verb (used with object)
-
to direct the offense of (a team).
-
to lead or direct.
to quarterback a public-relations campaign.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a player in American or Canadian football, positioned usually behind the centre, who directs attacking play
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wisdom after the event, esp by spectators
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of quarterback
Explanation
In American football, the quarterback is in charge of the team's offense. When football players huddle in a circle to plan their plays, the quarterback usually decides which strategy to use. In many ways, a quarterback is a team's leader, although ultimately the coach is in charge. When an NFL team wins the Super Bowl, the quarterback accepts the winning trophy. As a verb, to quarterback either means, literally, to play the position of quarterback, or to lead a team or project: "The teacher asked me to quarterback the class Halloween party." Quarterback comes from the starting field position, between the center and the halfback.
Vocabulary lists containing quarterback
Set, Hut! Football Vocabulary
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American Football, 1st Quarter
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February Vocabulary Words
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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.
See Examples For:
The performance of JSerra quarterback Hayes Cloutier last week against Bishop Amat perfectly explains the trend.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
All NC State’s quarterback had to do to secure a victory over Vanderbilt was fall over.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
In fact, the quarterback nobody wanted out of high school became a commodity so hot that he landed in a legal battle for his services.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Crenshaw will be boosted by the debut of quarterback Ethan Grant, a transfer from Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
Genie refocused and readied his hands like a quarterback before calling hike.
From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds
It was a brutal weekend for a few of the NFL’s rising-star quarterbacks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
The ailing quarterbacks include the reigning Super Bowl champion, the Seattle Seahawks’ Sam Darnold, and Caleb Williams, who was carted off a week after leading the Chicago Bears to a 59-point explosion in their opener.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
The plague of broken quarterbacks began on the season’s opening night when Darnold suffered what turned out to be a glute injury.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
The Chicago Bears came crashing back down to earth after a flying start - and they suffered one of the two worrying injuries to two of the league's top young quarterbacks.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
Now one of the junior varsity quarterbacks was leading the team, and Frankie didn’t seem to mind.
From "Time Bomb" by Joelle Charbonneau
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.
