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
Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025
The former five-star recruit played some quarterback in high school and showed off his nice arm by throwing an accurate ball backward to Styles while getting hit.
—Cameron Teague Robinson, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 28 Sep. 2025
Newton also played immediate successor to Tom Brady in New England and quarterbacked the Patriots to a 7-9 season in 2020.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quarterback
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Noun
UConn’s Joe Fagnano, a seventh-year collegiate quarterback, carved up FIU’s secondary, completing 22 of 28 passes for 355 yards, four TDs and no interceptions.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025
The former five-star recruit played some quarterback in high school and showed off his nice arm by throwing an accurate ball backward to Styles while getting hit.
—Cameron Teague Robinson, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
Verb
He was activated to the roster in March and earned the backup job to quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 28 Sep. 2025
Newton also played immediate successor to Tom Brady in New England and quarterbacked the Patriots to a 7-9 season in 2020.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 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 5 Oct. 2025.
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