quarter-hour
Americannoun
-
a period of 15 minutes.
-
a point 15 minutes after or before the hour.
noun
-
a period of 15 minutes
-
any of the points on the face of a timepiece that mark 15 minutes before or after the hour, and sometimes 30 minutes after
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of quarter-hour
First recorded in 1880–85
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 visitors tore out of the blocks at Stade Jean-Bouin as Said hit the post and Florian Thauvin had a goal disallowed for offside inside the opening quarter-hour.
From Barron's ● Feb. 14, 2026
Before the quarter-hour mark, that plan was out the window with Arsenal three goals to the good and Wilder already making changes to his team's shape and personnel.
From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2024
“Once we realized a quarter-hour was the right fit, the writing became so much easier,” she said.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 19, 2022
Wiping up their splatter was the work of 20 seconds with a vinegar-soaked cloth, rather than the quarter-hour it would take to pull off the greasy hobs and scrub them in the sink.
From New York Times ● Mar. 11, 2022
A quarter-hour passed as I watched it complete its circuit of the fire.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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.
