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

Aguilar and Chambliss came out of nowhere — summer transfers — to be the SEC’s second- and third-ranked passers, and first-time starter Ty Simpson led Alabama to the CFP quarterfinals. —Seth Emerson, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2026

Hull, a 6-foot guard, scored 15 points with four rebounds in a 99-92 win over Blair in triple overtime in the quarterfinals. —Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 24 Feb. 2026

Adjective

And Hedman — who waited 17 years into his NHL career for his first and likely only chance to play in the Winter Games — had a premature end to his stay, scratched from Sweden’s quarterfinal game against the United States after suffering a lower-body injury during warmups. —Eduardo A. Encina, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Feb. 2026

The 38-year-old Crosby went down in the second period of Canada's quarterfinal win over Czechia. —ABC News, 25 Feb. 2026

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