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Synonyms

quarterback

American  
[kwawr-ter-bak] / ˈkwɔr tərˌbæk /

noun

  1. a back in football who usually lines up immediately behind the center and directs the offense of the team.

  2. the position played by this back.

  3. a person who leads or directs a group or activity.

verb (used with object)

  1. to direct the offense of (a team).

  2. to lead or direct.

    to quarterback a public-relations campaign.

verb (used without object)

  1. to play the position of quarterback.

quarterback British  
/ ˈkwɔːtəˌbæk /

noun

  1. a player in American or Canadian football, positioned usually behind the centre, who directs attacking play

  2. wisdom after the event, esp by spectators

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of quarterback

An Americanism dating back to 1875–80; quarter + back 1

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.

Seattle trailed 12-7 when quarterback Russell Wilson unleashed a desperate heave to the end zone in the final seconds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

Sean Salisbury, a former quarterback whose career intersected with Browner’s in college and the NFL, was one of many in the football community paying their respects to the four-time All-Pro player.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

Adding the greatest quarterback of all time would only boost those numbers.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

Originally recruited to Oklahoma State University as a pitcher, third baseman and a football quarterback, McLean is extraordinarily talented and widely viewed as one of the sport’s most dynamic young arms.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

For the same reason that a high-school quarterback wakes up at 5 a.m. to lift weights.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

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.