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
-
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:
On the night before a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was in London and diagnosed with a blood clot in his leg.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
What about Hurts doesn’t look like how a quarterback is supposed to look?
From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2026
El quarterback Jacoby Brissett y los Cardinals, sin embargo, remontaron gracias a una falta personal tras un pase completado.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
Philadelphia Eagles star quarterback Jalen Hurts is one of the nearly 1 million Americans who will get severe blood clots in their veins or lungs each year.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
“I ever tell you I was quarterback my senior year? Threw the winning pass against Athens High in the semis. Matt was quarterback too.”
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
In all, 3.4% of his throws have ended up in the hands of his opponents—a higher rate than 106 other quarterbacks nationwide.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
On the draft’s second day, team after team bypassed Mr. Brady for quarterbacks such as Southwest Texas State’s Spergon Wynn and Florida A&M’s Ja’Juan Seider.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
The following season, Ditka had revived the “Monsters of the Midway” with a defense that still gives quarterbacks nightmares.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Now Riley views him as “one of the best quarterbacks in the country.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 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
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
