quota

noun

quo·​ta ˈkwō-tə 

1

: a proportional part or share

especially : the share or proportion assigned to each in a division or to each member of a body

2

: the number or amount constituting a proportional share

3

: a fixed number or percentage of minority group members or women needed to meet the requirements of affirmative action

Synonyms

• portion
• share
• part
• percentage
• proportion
• allowance
• allotment

Examples of quota in a Sentence

The agency imposes strict fishing quotas.

The company has imposed quotas on hiring.

He lost his driver's license because he exceeded the quota of traffic violations.

The department set new sales quotas in January.

Recent Examples on the Web

Baseball teams rely on consistent productivity both on the pitching mound and in the batter’s box during the course of a season, much like business units depend on meeting sales quotas and company objectives throughout the fiscal year. —Mark Lasota, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025

Prince Leonard, for example, challenged the state government’s wheat production quotas. —Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025

Closes early if quota is reached. —Arkansas Online, 26 Aug. 2025

Proposals to exempt a certain amount of EU steel imports, known as a tariff rate quota, have been left unresolved pending more talks. —David McHugh, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin, from Latin quota pars how great a part

First Known Use

1618, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for quota

• chota
• cota
• biota
• iota
• lakota
• nonquota
• ricotta

Kids Definition

quota

noun

quo·​ta ˈkwōt-ə 

1

: a share or part assigned to each member of a group

2

: the number or amount making up a quota

Legal Definition

quota

noun

quo·​ta ˈkwō-tə 

1

: a proportional part or share assigned to each in a body

2

: a specific amount that serves as a minimum or maximum

a law against traffic ticket quotas

Etymology

Medieval Latin, from Latin quota pars how great a part