quarter hour
noun
1
: fifteen minutes
2
: any of the quarter points of an hour
3
: a unit of academic credit representing an hour of class (such as lecture class) or three hours of laboratory work each week for an academic quarter
Examples of quarter hour in a Sentence
Trains depart every quarter hour.
I waited a quarter hour in line.
Recent Examples on the Web
First, the elephant in the room: A change by ratings company Nielsen now gives credit for a quarter hour of listening as long as a Nielsen meter holder listens for just three minutes in that quarter, down from the previous five.
—
Richard Wagoner, Oc Register, 26 May 2025
The 88-year-old pontiff, in a wheelchair, arrived at around 6 p.m. local time accompanied by his nurse and stayed for about a quarter hour, stopping to pray at St. Peter's tomb, the Italian press service Ansa reported.
—Phoebe Natanson, ABC News, 19 Apr. 2025
The minute repeater mechanism is set into action via a slide on the left-hand side of the case to strike the hours at a low pitch, the quarter hours at a double tone, and the minutes that have elapsed since the last hour with a higher pitch tone.
—Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 1 Apr. 2025
Inauguration viewing peaked overall in the 12:15 p.m. Eastern quarter hour at 34.4 million, falling short of the 40 million viewers who watched Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris take the oath of office in 2021.
—Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2025
Viewership peaked in the 12:15 quarter hour, as Trump was giving his inaugural address.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 21 Jan. 2025
Viewership soared to 22M, once again in line with last year, in the midnight quarter hour as the ball dropped in Times Square.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 2 Jan. 2025
Unlike conventional minute repeaters, which chime the hours, quarter hours, and minutes, this one sounds the hours, 10-minute intervals, and minutes.
—Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 10 Dec. 2023
The 2022 telecast attracted 13.8 million total viewers, with a 5.3 rating in the key adults 18-49 demographic in the midnight quarter hour.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 20 Nov. 2023
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Richard Wagoner, Oc Register, 26 May 2025
The 88-year-old pontiff, in a wheelchair, arrived at around 6 p.m. local time accompanied by his nurse and stayed for about a quarter hour, stopping to pray at St. Peter's tomb, the Italian press service Ansa reported.
—Phoebe Natanson, ABC News, 19 Apr. 2025
The minute repeater mechanism is set into action via a slide on the left-hand side of the case to strike the hours at a low pitch, the quarter hours at a double tone, and the minutes that have elapsed since the last hour with a higher pitch tone.
—Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 1 Apr. 2025
Inauguration viewing peaked overall in the 12:15 p.m. Eastern quarter hour at 34.4 million, falling short of the 40 million viewers who watched Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris take the oath of office in 2021.
—Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2025
Viewership peaked in the 12:15 quarter hour, as Trump was giving his inaugural address.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 21 Jan. 2025
Viewership soared to 22M, once again in line with last year, in the midnight quarter hour as the ball dropped in Times Square.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 2 Jan. 2025
Unlike conventional minute repeaters, which chime the hours, quarter hours, and minutes, this one sounds the hours, 10-minute intervals, and minutes.
—Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 10 Dec. 2023
The 2022 telecast attracted 13.8 million total viewers, with a 5.3 rating in the key adults 18-49 demographic in the midnight quarter hour.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 20 Nov. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Quarter hour.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quarter%20hour. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
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