quarterback
Americannoun
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
-
a player in American or Canadian football, positioned usually behind the centre, who directs attacking play
-
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:
To focus on baseball, Roch gave up a scholarship offer to play quarterback at Notre Dame.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
“We can create quarterback after quarterback just out of a tiny region of Pennsylvania,” says Bennett of Men in Blazers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
“Generally, controversy tends to stimulate fan curiosity, I would not be surprised if this leads to all-time viewing,” super-agent Leigh Steinberg, who represents NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes, among other star athletes, told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
Corona Centennial and its new quarterback, Jaden Jefferson, a transfer from L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026
But Hands took him anyway and played quarterback and threw passes to Maniac all day long.
From "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli
Football quarterbacks sometimes exaggerate hits to sell roughing-the-passer penalties.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Herbert, who has been one of those traditional right-handed quarterbacks to have their right foot forward from the shotgun, has embraced his new coordinator’s methodology.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
Instead of declaring for the draft, though, he was wooed by dozens of universities as one of the hottest quarterbacks in the transfer portal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
For example, of the top 600 football prospects in the class of 2021, more than 60% of them transferred at least once, and 42 of the top 50 quarterbacks changed schools, according to the Athletic.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 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.
