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
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
He’s garnered the most attention and controversy for being a key architect of Trump’s harsh immigration policy and mass deportations, with the advisor reportedly recently pushing immigration officials to meet a quota of at least 3,000 arrests per day.
—
Alison Durkee, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025
The plaintiffs ascribe this behavior to a quota of 3,000 immigration arrests per day set by presidential aide Stephen Miller.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2025
Only the top 100 in the FedEx Cup rankings will retain their card for next season, 25 players less than the quota in place through 2024.
—Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025
The quota is a three-year average of 10 students for an associate's degree program, 15 for a bachelor's degree program, seven for a master's degree program and three for a doctorate program.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for quota
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Alison Durkee, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025
The plaintiffs ascribe this behavior to a quota of 3,000 immigration arrests per day set by presidential aide Stephen Miller.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2025
Only the top 100 in the FedEx Cup rankings will retain their card for next season, 25 players less than the quota in place through 2024.
—Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025
The quota is a three-year average of 10 students for an associate's degree program, 15 for a bachelor's degree program, seven for a master's degree program and three for a doctorate program.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for quota
Cite this Entry
“Quota.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quota. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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