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

Two years ago, the Puerto Rican quartet Chuwi, made up of siblings Wester, Lorén, and Willy Aldarondo and their family friend Adrián Lopez, were a young indie band. — Vanessa Diaz, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2026

To do this with a quartet of bonus cuts tacked at the end of his third album of the year is just fine. — Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2026

The series, which Gen Z has recently taken for a first spin as obsessed over on social media, follows the quartet’s rise and fall as a friend group through myriad breakups and breakdowns. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2026

This opinion has now shifted to Sam Mendes’s quartet of Beatles biopics, in which McCartney is being portrayed by Paul Mescal. — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 13 Oct. 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