quarterback

1 of 2

noun

quar·​ter·​back ˈkwȯ(r)-tər-ˌbak 

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

Synonyms

Verb

• supervise
• handle
• oversee
• command
• manage
• boss
• watch over

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

Noun

Troy had not decided on a starting quarterback through the first days of August. —Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 13 Aug. 2025

Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew got most of the snaps with the first-team offense in 11-on-11 drills. —Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2025

Verb

Dart completed 12 of 19 passes for 154 yards and the touchdown, rushed for 24 more yards and quarterbacked three Giants scoring drives. —Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 9 Aug. 2025

His father, Ryan Fien, was drafted by the Cubs in ’96 and quarterbacked at both UCLA and Idaho. —Devon Henderson, Oc Register, 13 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1892, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing quarterback

• Monday-morning quarterback
• quarterback sneak

Rhymes for quarterback

• almanac
• camelback
• cardiac
• carryback
• cluniac
• diamondback
• lumberjack
• maniac
• paperback
• piggyback
• saddleback
• stickleback

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