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
Alec Lewis, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2025
The odd thing is the Browns have been rumored to take all four of the quarterbacks into the regular season, which is unheard of.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Aug. 2025
Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2025
Harbaugh quarterbacked the Chargers in 1999 and 2000 under coach Mike Riley.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for quarterback
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
How the center altering the protection can affect how the quarterback drops.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2025
The odd thing is the Browns have been rumored to take all four of the quarterbacks into the regular season, which is unheard of.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Aug. 2025
Verb
The Jayhawks were quarterbacked by Ransom’s Nolan Cromwell, who went on to have a long and great NFL career with the Los Angeles Rams, and Smith was joined in the backfield by Derby’s Billy Campfield, who played with the Philadelphia Eagles.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2025
Harbaugh quarterbacked the Chargers in 1999 and 2000 under coach Mike Riley.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 July 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 6 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share