: quadrangle
I stood at the far end of the quad, at the academic hall's front steps …—
Susan Faludi
Susan Faludi
: a type-metal space that is one en or more in width
quadded; quadding
: to fill out (something, such as a typeset line) with blank space
plural quads
1
2
: a ski lift that holds four people
3
: a jump (as in figure skating or skiing) that consists of at least four but less than five revolutions
Last month Leaver announced that Boitano would not try the jump for which he is best known, the quadruple toe loop, at the Olympics. Never performed successfully in competition, the quad has become the slippery grail of skating.—Jill Smolowe
Jill Smolowe4
or less commonly quad bike
: a four-wheeled all-terrain vehicle
1
: having or composed of four items or elements : quadruple sense 1
The F/A-18 flight-control system … is characterized by quad redundancy, which means that there are essentially four levels of sensing and actuation for each control surface.—McGraw-Hill Yearbook Of Science And Technology
McGraw-Hill Yearbook Of Science And TechnologyQuad skates are roller skates that have four wheels arranged in two rows, while inline skates have them in one line.—Jenee Osterheldt
Jenee Osterheldt2
: quadraphonic
Domestic quad listening needs two additional loudspeakers over stereo, and two more amplifiers, plus the black box which allocates some of the sounds to the rear left/right, and others to the front left/right.—George Steedman
George Steedman
: quadraphonic sound
: a unit of energy equal to one quadrillion British thermal units
plural quads
informal
: the greater extensor muscle of the front of the thigh that is divided into four parts : quadriceps
—usually plural
"Usually after a heptathlon I can tell if I'm not going to do well jumping. My quads get tired."—Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Jackie Joyner-KerseeDick Williams, Seattle manager, on shortstop Spike Owen's injured quads: "I never had any quads when I played."—Sports Illustrated
Sports IllustratedSynonyms of quad
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Noun (1)
Examples of quad in a Sentence
Noun (1)
the quad was the college's time-honored site for protests and celebrations
Recent Examples on the Web
Lindsay Schnell, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Malinin executed five quad jumps and won by nearly six points, even without his signature quad axel.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026
Ally Jaksen, Outside, 18 Dec. 2025
The Fever are 2-3 on the season, a disappointing start made even worse by a Caitlin Clark quad injury that is projected to keep her out for a couple of weeks.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 May 2025
Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 1 Feb. 2026
Karlee Smith jumped on a quad bike to help herd sheep away from the fast-moving flames on a farm in the town of Gellibrand, a small rural town, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) southwest of Melbourne.
—Helen Regan, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for quad
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Noun
Training for the next quad was a foregone conclusion, especially because it was scheduled to be held in Cortina, Fischnaller’s new home.
—Lindsay Schnell, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Malinin executed five quad jumps and won by nearly six points, even without his signature quad axel.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026
Verb
Local tip: Take the Tannenbaum quad on a snowy day for views straight out of a holiday card.
—Ally Jaksen, Outside, 18 Dec. 2025
The Fever are 2-3 on the season, a disappointing start made even worse by a Caitlin Clark quad injury that is projected to keep her out for a couple of weeks.
—Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 May 2025
Adjective
Wearing carbon-composite skates that weigh about two pounds each, Malinin reaches a vertical leap of approximately 30 inches on his quad axel—one kinematic study captured it at 33 inches, similar to the standing vertical leaps of NBA players such as Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, and Kevin Durant.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 1 Feb. 2026
Karlee Smith jumped on a quad bike to help herd sheep away from the fast-moving flames on a farm in the town of Gellibrand, a small rural town, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) southwest of Melbourne.
—Helen Regan, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for quad
Cite this Entry
“Quad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quad. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
quad
noun
: quadriceps
—usually used in plural
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