quarterfinal

1 of 2

noun

quar·​ter·​fi·​nal ˌkwȯ(r)-tər-ˈfī-nᵊl 

1

quarterfinals plural : a quarterfinal round

2

: a quarterfinal match

quarterfinalist

ˌkwȯ(r)-tər-ˈfī-nᵊl-ist 

noun

quarterfinal

2 of 2

adjective

1

: immediately preceding the semifinal in an elimination tournament

2

: of or participating in a quarterfinal

Examples of quarterfinal in a Sentence

Noun

He lost in the quarterfinal.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The team was knocked out by eventual winner England in the quarterfinals in 2022 after fellow two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) three days before the start of the tournament. —Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 28 June 2025

The tournament has continually drawn large, near-capacity crowds and figures to do so again as two of the club’s with the most supporters on the planet battle for a spot in the quarterfinals. —Andre Fernandez, Miami Herald, 27 June 2025

Adjective

Instead, Canada exits at the quarterfinal stage — not to the USMNT, Mexico or upstart Panama, but to Guatemala, which entered the tournament ranked 84th in the world according to the Elo Ratings and 106th in the FIFA rankings. —Jeff Rueter, New York Times, 30 June 2025

With Canada's firepower and Guatemala's fearless energy, this one's got all the ingredients for a quarterfinal classic. —Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1916, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1926, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for quarterfinal

• anticlinal
• entorhinal
• isoclinal
• polyvinyl
• transvaginal
• affinal
• anginal
• synclinal
• vaginal
• final
• pinal
• spinal