quad

1 of 8

noun (1)

ˈkwäd 

: quadrangle

I stood at the far end of the quad, at the academic hall's front steps …

—Susan Faludi

quad

2 of 8

noun (2)

: a type-metal space that is one en or more in width

quad

3 of 8

verb

quadded; quadding

transitive verb

: to fill out (something, such as a typeset line) with blank space

quad

4 of 8

noun (3)

plural quads

1

: quadruplet

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

4

or less commonly quad bike : a four-wheeled all-terrain vehicle

quad

5 of 8

adjective

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

Quad skates are roller skates that have four wheels arranged in two rows, while inline skates have them in one line.

—Jenee Osterheldt

2

: 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

quad

6 of 8

noun (4)

: quadraphonic sound

quad

7 of 8

noun (5)

: a unit of energy equal to one quadrillion British thermal units

quad

8 of 8

noun (6)

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

Dick Williams, Seattle manager, on shortstop Spike Owen's injured quads: "I never had any quads when I played."

—Sports Illustrated

Synonyms of quad

Noun (1)

• courtyard
• quadrangle
• enclosure
• patio
• yard

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

Noun

He was listed as questionable for the contest before testing the quad in warmups and then being downgraded to out less than hour prior to tipoff. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2026

Focus on the Body’s Largest Muscle Groups Work on your glutes, hamstrings, quads, lats, traps, and chest. —Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 4 Mar. 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

Adam is working back from September quad surgery on his left leg and is still considered to have a chance to be ready in time for opening day. —Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026

Gardner Nichols, an engineer at Rivian who modified his personal first-gen quad-motor R1T and ran up the Pikes Peak Hill Climb in 2023 and set a record with no factory involvement. —Joel Feder, The Drive, 27 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

short for quadrat

Noun (5)

short for quadrillion

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1786, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

circa 1781, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1888, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1881, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (4)

1971, in the meaning defined above

Noun (5)

1974, in the meaning defined above

Noun (6)

1954, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing quad

• quad bike
• quad meet

Rhymes for quad

• awed
• baaed
• baud
• bawd
• brod
• clawed
• cod
• flawed
• fraud
• gnawed
• god
• jawed

Kids Definition

quad

noun

ˈkwäd

: quadruplet

Medical Definition

quad

noun

ˈkwäd 

: quadriceps

—usually used in plural