quartet

noun

quar·​tet kwȯr-ˈtet 

variants or less commonly quartette

1

: a musical composition for four instruments or voices

2

: a group or set of four

especially : the performers of a quartet

Examples of quartet in a Sentence

He is a member of a jazz quartet.

a string quartet by Beethoven

The author wrote a quartet of novels about the same character.

Recent Examples on the Web

Formed through the groundbreaking JYP/Republic Records A2K competition, which blended Western artists with K-pop training, the quartet now asserts significant artistic autonomy. — Jeff Benjamin, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

His quartet features a band of Stanford Jazz Workshop faculty led by New York pianist Caili O’Doherty. — Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 16 July 2026

The next problem, though, was that Bellingham was now (vaguely) playing the left-sided role in England’s midfield quartet, and didn’t have the energy to close down. — Michael Cox, New York Times, 16 July 2026

The quartet competed together in high school in the Nashville area. — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Italian quartetto, from quarto fourth, from Latin quartus — more at quart

First Known Use

1773, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing quartet

• barbershop quartet
• string quartet

Rhymes for quartet

• abet
• asset
• baguette
• banquette
• barbette
• beget
• beset
• binet
• briquette
• brunet
• brunette
• burette

Kids Definition

quartet

noun

quar·​tet

variants also quartette

kwȯr-ˈtet 

1

a

: a musical composition for four instruments or voices

b

: the performers of a quartet

2

: a group or set of four