quota

noun

quo·​ta ˈkwō-tə 

1

: a proportional part or share

especially : the share or proportion assigned to each in a division or to each member of a body

2

: the number or amount constituting a proportional share

3

: a fixed number or percentage of minority group members or women needed to meet the requirements of affirmative action

Synonyms of quota

• portion
• share
• part
• percentage
• proportion
• allowance
• allotment

Examples of quota in a Sentence

The agency imposes strict fishing quotas.

The company has imposed quotas on hiring.

He lost his driver's license because he exceeded the quota of traffic violations.

The department set new sales quotas in January.

Recent Examples on the Web

Their interests have diverged over a number of issues, including oil quotas. — Garrett Haake, NBC news, 22 July 2026

Traditional reviews encourage employees to play it safe, focusing on quotas and deadlines rather than innovation. — Nir Bashan, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 corrected a historical exclusion against women in the workforce, using incentives and quotas to address the imbalance. — Wael Mahdi, semafor.com, 21 July 2026

And Canada has established tariff-rate quotas on cheese from the United States that are more restrictive than the Canadian policy with the European Union, officials said. — Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 21 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin, from Latin quota pars how great a part

First Known Use

1618, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for quota

• chota
• cota
• biota
• iota
• lakota
• nonquota
• ricotta

Kids Definition

quota

noun

quo·​ta ˈkwōt-ə 

1

: a share or part assigned to each member of a group

2

: the number or amount making up a quota

Legal Definition

quota

noun

quo·​ta ˈkwō-tə 

1

: a proportional part or share assigned to each in a body

2

: a specific amount that serves as a minimum or maximum

a law against traffic ticket quotas

Etymology

Medieval Latin, from Latin quota pars how great a part