quarterback

1 of 2

noun

quar·​ter·​back ˈkwȯ(r)-tər-ˌbak How to pronounce quarterback (audio)
Synonyms of quarterbacknext
1
: an offensive back in football who usually lines up behind the center, calls the signals, and directs the offensive play of the team
2
: one who directs and leads

quarterback

2 of 2

verb

quarterbacked; quarterbacking; quarterbacks

transitive verb

1
: to direct the offensive play of
quarterback a football team
2
: to give executive direction to : boss
quarterbacked the original buying syndicate.Time

intransitive verb

: to play quarterback

Examples of quarterback in a Sentence

Verb He quarterbacked his high school team. She quarterbacked the company's latest ad campaign.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and his wife, Kelly, were spotted leaving their hotel en route to the celebration, while Fox Sports personalities Erin Andrews and Charissa Thompson were also seen arriving for the event. Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026 Austin Swift and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes also made the shortlist of groomsmen. Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 3 July 2026
Verb
Eventually, the Blackhawks turned to Connor Bedard to quarterback the power play. Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 24 June 2026 Everything seems to be trending in the right direction for Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 11 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for quarterback

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1892, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of quarterback was in 1879

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Quarterback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quarterback. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.

Kids Definition

quarterback

noun
quar·​ter·​back
ˈkwȯ(r)t-ər-ˌbak
: an offensive football back who calls the signals and directs the offensive play of the team
quarterback verb

More from Merriam-Webster on quarterback

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster