quarterly

1 of 3

adverb

quar·​ter·​ly ˈkwȯ(r)-tər-lē 

1

: in heraldic quarters or quarterings

2

: at 3-month intervals

quarterly

2 of 3

adjective

1

: computed for or payable at 3-month intervals

a quarterly premium

2

: recurring, issued, or spaced at 3-month intervals

3

: divided into heraldic quarters or compartments

quarterly

3 of 3

noun

plural quarterlies

: a periodical published four times a year

Examples of quarterly in a Sentence

Adjective

The company holds quarterly meetings.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Review Financial Assumptions Regularly Compare actual results with budgets and forecasts monthly, then reassess major assumptions quarterly. — Prasanna Kumar, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026

The audit found that the department only terminated 737 accounts over 12 years for nonpayment and had fallen short on making its targets for water shutoffs quarterly. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026

Adjective

Because many companies report quarterly results after regular market hours, using single-stock futures could in theory allow investors to immediately take a position following an earnings miss or beat. — Bruce Blythe, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Oct. 2026

That means catching a problem before the payment goes out instead of finding it three months later during a quarterly audit. — Shaz Khan, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Noun

Reporting quarterly is good for investors and good for the company. — Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 8 July 2026

Without a C-suite sponsor empowered to align incentives, tie outcomes to compensation and resolve trade-offs quarterly, AI becomes a mosaic of local optimizations rather than a source of enterprise differentiation. — Kevin Korte, Forbes.com, 17 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adjective

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1818, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

quarterly

1 of 3 adverb

quar·​ter·​ly ˈkwȯ(r)t-ər-lē 

: four times a year

interest compounded quarterly

quarterly

2 of 3 adjective

: coming or happening every three months

quarterly premium

quarterly meeting

quarterly

3 of 3 noun

plural quarterlies

: a magazine published four times a year