quar·ter·back
ˈkwȯ(r)-tər-ˌbak 
1
: an offensive back in football who usually lines up behind the center, calls the signals, and directs the offensive play of the team
2
: one who directs and leads
quarterbacked; quarterbacking; quarterbacks
1
: to direct the offensive play of
quarterback a football team
2
: to give executive direction to : boss
… quarterbacked the original buying syndicate.—
Time
Time
: to play quarterback
Examples of quarterback in a Sentence
Verb
He quarterbacked his high school team.
She quarterbacked the company's latest ad campaign.
Recent Examples on the Web
Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 9 Nov. 2025
The quarterback situation remained dire.
—Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 10 Nov. 2025
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been tasked with that job this week.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quarterback
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Noun
First, the 6-foot-3, 245-pound native of Katy, Texas, recorded a 10-yard sack of quarterback Fifita.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 9 Nov. 2025
The quarterback situation remained dire.
—Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Verb
Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota drove down the field to get Washington in the red zone.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 10 Nov. 2025
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been tasked with that job this week.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quarterback
Cite this Entry
“Quarterback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quarterback. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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