quarter note

American  

noun

Music.

1. a note equivalent to one fourth of a whole note; a crotchet.

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quarter note British  

noun

1. Also called: crotchet.  music a note having the time value of a quarter of a semibreve

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Etymology

Origin of quarter note

First recorded in 1755–65

Example Sentences

We settled on three music notes — one quarter note, one eighth and one sixteenth — in a triangular cluster.

From New York Times • Jul. 7, 2021

“I’m still looking for the music in between the sentences,” Densmore says, taking a quick quarter note rest, perfectly paced.

From Washington Post • Oct. 5, 2017

It’s difficult to lose yourself when you’re hyperconscious of cadence; eventually, the thud of each quarter note starts to amplify the jarring lag before your own sneaker hits the ground.

From Slate • Jun. 9, 2015

It traverses wit and melancholy, surrealism and truth without missing a quarter note.

From Time Magazine Archive

The bass player was locked in there also, so every walking quarter note he played was pulsing in exact time with Brian’s left foot hi-hat clicks.

From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick