quarters
Britishplural noun
-
housing or accommodation, esp as provided for military personnel and their families
-
the stations assigned to military personnel, esp to each crew member of a warship
general quarters
-
(in India) housing provided by an employer or by the government
-
slang (functioning as singular) military short for quartermaster
Explanation
A place for people to live, especially if they're in the military, can be called quarters. If you join the Army, your quarters might be a dorm-like space that you share with many other people. You can use this word to mean "housing" generally, although it's most common for soldiers and servants to live in quarters. A wealthy family with maids and a butler who live in their house might set aside servants' quarters on the top floor, for example. During the period of slavery in the US, slaves also lived in quarters. If you and your brother live in "close quarters," it means the two of you share a fairly small room.
Vocabulary lists containing quarters
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Lion of Mars
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Three Keys
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Customers are starting to share eight quarters of demand visibility with semiconductor-production equipment suppliers, Arcuri said, which is “something we have never heard before” in his nearly three decades of covering the industry.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
Standard & Poor’s, for example, waits until a stock has been publicly traded for at least a year and has turned a profit in four quarters, including the quarter prior to its addition.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
The content of Zelensky's letter had raised hopes of peace in some quarters, including the White House.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
Return on equity is also expected to improve in the coming quarters as the bank remains on track to meet its 2026 targets.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026
The lower three quarters of the windows had been papered over, so the restaurant was dim and cool.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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.
