quartet

noun

quar·​tet kwȯr-ˈtet 

variants or less commonly quartette

1

: a musical composition for four instruments or voices

2

: a group or set of four

especially : the performers of a quartet

Examples of quartet in a Sentence

He is a member of a jazz quartet.

a string quartet by Beethoven

The author wrote a quartet of novels about the same character.

Recent Examples on the Web

After Shangri-La Dee Da became the first STP album to fall short of platinum sales, the quartet quietly disbanded and released a greatest hits album, Thank You, in 2003. —Al Shipley, SPIN, 8 June 2024

This year, the surviving quartet will perform a run of shows with a longtime friend of the band, Seth Gilmore, on vocals. —August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2024

Adding to the unsettled atmosphere was a quartet of principal string players who tuned their instruments a quarter-tone below the rest of the ensemble. —Joshua Barone, New York Times, 31 May 2024

By the time the quartet touched down in England, the fundamentals for the McLaren F1 were completely mapped out. —Sean Evans, Robb Report, 21 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Italian quartetto, from quarto fourth, from Latin quartus — more at quart

First Known Use

1773, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing quartet

• barbershop quartet
• string quartet

Kids Definition

quartet

noun

quar·​tet

variants also quartette

kwȯr-ˈtet 

1

a

: a musical composition for four instruments or voices

b

: the performers of a quartet

2

: a group or set of four