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quartet

noun
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quar·​tet | \ kwȯr-ˈtet How to pronounce quartet (audio) \
variants: or less commonly quartette

Definition of quartet

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.
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Recent Examples on the Web Before the pandemic, Amazon was already among the nation's quartet of trillion-dollar companies. — Mike Snider, USA TODAY, "Amazon CEO Bezos: More coronavirus testing needed to get 'economy back up and running'," 16 Apr. 2020 Then a quartet of singers from the Grace Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys sang in Latin. — Sam Whiting, SFChronicle.com, "For Bay Area churchgoers, virtual Easter in coronavirus era is ‘bittersweet’," 12 Apr. 2020 Outside the facility sat a quartet of 2020 NSXes, two in yellow and a pair in different shades of red. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "1,200 uncomfortable miles in a gorgeous Acura NSX hybrid supercar," 12 Mar. 2020 Chance was joined by a full band a quartet of backup singers. — Joey Guerra, Houston Chronicle, "Chance the Rapper shouts out Megan Thee Stallion, covers 'Barre Baby' at RodeoHouston," 6 Mar. 2020 That includes the quartet of top offensive tackles in Louisville’s Mekhi Becton, Georgia’s Andrew Thomas, Alabama’s Jedrick Wills and Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs. — Tim Bielik, cleveland, "NFL combine 2020 Wednesday preview: Offensive linemen interviews should have Browns fans’ attentions," 26 Feb. 2020 Hailey Heldenbrand, Corbyn Cormack, Kit Kat Zenick and Madelyn Clem combined to win the meet-opening 200 medley relay (1:42.55) and the quartet of Zenick, Riley Francis, Ashley Zettle and Kate Heintz captured the meet-ending 400 freestyle relay. — Dallas News, "Southlake Carroll girls win second straight state swimming title behind dominant performances in relays, 1-meter diving," 16 Feb. 2020 The quartet of Power spinoffs join recently ordered comedy Run the World, Vida, American Gods, Outlander, Hightown, Heels and Becoming Elizabeth at Starz. — Lesley Goldberg, Billboard, "'Power': Three More Spinoff Series Set at Starz," 9 Feb. 2020 The commercial shows a four-way split screen depicting a quartet of nerve-wracking situations, such as meeting a partner's parents for the first time. — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, "Super Bowl commercials: Watch the leaked ads," 2 Feb. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'quartet.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of quartet

1773, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for quartet

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

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Time Traveler for quartet

Time Traveler

The first known use of quartet was in 1773

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Statistics for quartet

Last Updated

19 May 2020

Cite this Entry

“Quartet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quartet. Accessed 31 May. 2020.

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More Definitions for quartet

quartet

noun
How to pronounce quartet (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of quartet

: a group of four singers or musicians who perform together
: a song or piece of music performed by four singers or musicians
: a group or set of four people or things

See the full definition for quartet in the English Language Learners Dictionary

quartet

noun
quar·​tet
variants: also quartette \ kwȯr-​ˈtet \

Kids Definition of quartet

1 : a piece of music for four instruments or voices
2 : a group of four singers or musicians who perform together
3 : a group or set of four Above them, a quartet of swallows dipped and circled …— Jane Yolen, The Devil's Arithmetic

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More from Merriam-Webster on quartet

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for quartet

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with quartet

Spanish Central: Translation of quartet

Nglish: Translation of quartet for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of quartet for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about quartet

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