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
Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Nov. 2025
The young quarterback has looked overmatched for most of his time on the field, though he's shown occasional flashes of brilliance, including a late-game, go-ahead drive near the end of last week's game.
—Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 22 Nov. 2025
Dan Robson, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025
Flag & Anthem has a new ambassador in former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 17 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quarterback
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Noun
So far this season, the Crimson Tide have struggled to run the football at a high level and have relied heavily on quarterback Ty Simpson to make plays week in and week out.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Nov. 2025
The young quarterback has looked overmatched for most of his time on the field, though he's shown occasional flashes of brilliance, including a late-game, go-ahead drive near the end of last week's game.
—Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 22 Nov. 2025
Verb
In the mid-1990s, kicker Chris Boniol broke in each of the Cowboys’ 36 game balls every week, making sure the grip and texture were set to quarterback Troy Aikman’s liking.
—Dan Robson, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025
Flag & Anthem has a new ambassador in former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 17 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 25 Nov. 2025.
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