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

Example Sentences

Trains depart every quarter hour. I waited a quarter hour in line.
Recent Examples on the Web There really seems to be no reason — beyond the fact that running times don’t seem to matter for Netflix — why Kill Boksoon lasts for two-and-a-quarter hours. Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Feb. 2023 Thanks to the unique design of the new trains, passengers can remain in their comfortable seats throughout the three-and-a-quarter hour trip, immersing themselves in the ever-changing view through enormous panoramic windows. Ben Jones, CNN, 9 Dec. 2022 See the 2022 Oscars telecast’s live viewership and ratings broken down by quarter hour below. Jennifer Maas, Variety, 29 Mar. 2022 What time units are used: quarter hours, half hours? Consumers’ Checkbook, SFChronicle.com, 30 May 2020 The two spent two and a quarter hours outside the spacecraft collecting moon matter while third team member, command module pilot Michael Collins, flew the command module Columbia in lunar orbit. Luann Gibbs, Cincinnati.com, 16 July 2019 The period of totality — when the moon is in the darkest part of Earth's shadow — will last a bit more than one and a quarter hours, according to EarthSky.org. David Freeman /, NBC News, 24 Jan. 2018 Clocks were rapidly developing in the Middle Ages and division into a rough quarter hour was imaginable. Merrill Fabry, Time, 11 Jan. 2018 And viewership peaked with nearly 7 million viewers in the 6:30-6:45 quarter hour. George Diaz, OrlandoSentinel.com, 17 Oct. 2017 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quarter hour.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of quarter hour was circa 1597

Dictionary Entries Near quarter hour

Cite this Entry

“Quarter hour.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quarter%20hour. Accessed 1 Jun. 2023.

Kids Definition

quarter hour

noun
1
: any of the quarter points of an hour
2
: 15 minutes
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!