quartet

American  

[kwawr-tet] / kwɔrˈtɛt /

especially British, quartette

noun

1. any group of four persons or things.

2. an organized group of four singers or players.

3. a musical composition for four voices or instruments.

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quartet British  

/ kwɔːˈtɛt /

noun

1. a group of four singers or instrumentalists or a piece of music composed for such a group See string quartet

2. any group of four

   a quartet of fast bowlers

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quartet Cultural  

1. A group of four musicians or singers; also, a piece of music for four instruments or voices.

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Etymology

Origin of quartet

1765–75; < Italian quartetto, diminutive of quarto < Latin quartus fourth

Explanation

A quartet is a musical group with four members. If you play the viola, you might form a string quartet with two violinists and a cellist. You can use the noun quartet to describe your four-person singing group, and you can also use it to talk about the piece of music you're performing, if it's written specifically for four voices or instruments. The word quartet comes from the Italian quarto, or "fourth," which in turn has it roots in the Latin quartus, also meaning "fourth."

Example Sentences

It was during an engagement at Birdland, where the quartet was first on the bill, that Alice McLeod had the opportunity to experience the John Coltrane Quartet up close.

From Salon • Apr. 14, 2026

Blair spent years focused on the Israeli-Palestinian issue as representative of the "Middle East Quartet" -- the United Nations, European Union, United States and Russia -- after leaving Downing Street in 2007.

From Barron's • Jan. 17, 2026

Sibelius’s String Quartet closed the bill, with Mr. Ehnes, as first violinist, joining three members of the orchestra.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026

Nomi Bar-Yaacov, a former international peace negotiator, said: "I don't think the Palestinians trust him at all. I think they view him as a colossal failure during the time that he was the Quartet envoy."

From BBC • Sep. 30, 2025

This wedding offered a special attraction, for the bridegroom was a handsome, well-liked man—the tenor of Mount Zion’s Men’s Quartet, who had an enviable reputation among the girls and a comfortable one among men.

From "Sula" by Toni Morrison

Related Words

• assemblage
• band
• cast
• choir
• chorus
• orchestra
• quintet
• sextet
• trio
• troupe