quarterback

1 of 2

noun

quar·​ter·​back ˈkwȯ(r)-tər-ˌbak How to pronounce quarterback (audio)
Synonyms of quarterbacknext
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

quarterback

2 of 2

verb

quarterbacked; quarterbacking; quarterbacks

transitive verb

1
: to direct the offensive play of
quarterback a football team
2
: to give executive direction to : boss
quarterbacked the original buying syndicate.Time

intransitive verb

: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The Browns drafted quarterback Taylen Green in the sixth round in last week's draft. Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 2 May 2026 Following a visit with the Jets, former Giants quarterback Russell Wilson is reportedly considering leaving football to work in television. Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 2 May 2026
Verb
Madden Iamaleava led the blue team to a 24-17 victory while his older brother Nico quarterbacked the white team. Sean Campbell, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2026 Before Miami Dolphins draft pick Michael Taaffe and quarterback Quinn Ewers were teammates and close friends at Texas, Taaffe had the best day of his high school football career against Ewers. David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for quarterback

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1892, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of quarterback was in 1879

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Quarterback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quarterback. Accessed 3 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

quarterback

noun
quar·​ter·​back
ˈkwȯ(r)t-ər-ˌbak
: an offensive football back who calls the signals and directs the offensive play of the team
quarterback verb

More from Merriam-Webster on quarterback

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster