quota

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noun quo·ta \ˈkwō-tə\

Definition of quota

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

See quota defined for English-language learners

See quota defined for kids

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 of quota from the Web

The commission chair also directed the department to determine the accuracy of the 1.04-million-pound quota before next year's season to see if it could be tweaked to allow anglers to harvest more fish.

— todd masson, NOLA.com, "Red snapper season won't likely reach Labor Day in Louisiana", 6 July 2017
And, because GM hasn’t yet hit its federal quota, the Bolt’s first buyers will find the $7,500 direct income tax credit available.

— ed wallace special to the star-telegram, star-telegram, "Electrics or Self Driving Cars?", 30 June 2017
The school met the quota that year with one student to spare.

— matthew kauffman, courant.com, "Capital Prep Met State Integration Rule By Picking White Students Outside Lottery", 30 June 2017
The lion bone quota meets international guidelines on wildlife trade and a three-year study with annual reviews will assess its impact on wild lions, South Africa’s environmental affairs department said.

— christopher torchia, The Seattle Times, "South Africa approves export of 800 lion skeletons this year", 28 June 2017
The current employee added that, if workers don’t meet their impossible production quotas, they don’t get paid their full salary.

— claire landsbaum, The Cut, "China Frees Activists Investigating Ivanka Trump Shoe Factory", 28 June 2017
China's nationals are, at least in theory, limited to a foreign exchange quota no more than $50,000 per year.

— clay chandler, Fortune, "CEO Daily: Saturday, June 24, 2017", 24 June 2017
Both in journalism and policing, quotas allow superiors to blame failure on subordinates and take credit for their success.

— danielle tcholakian, Longreads, "Why Quotas Still Don’t Work for Journalism", 24 June 2017
But immigration law has changed a great deal since then — including, most notably, an end to the quotas limiting how many people could come from countries identified as less desirable.

— h. richard friman, Washington Post, "Trump’s travel ban is built on a law meant to ‘protect’ the U.S. from Jews and communists", 22 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of quota

Medieval Latin, from Latin quota pars how great a part

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First Known Use: 1618

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QUOTA Defined for English Language Learners

quota

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noun

Definition of quota for English Language Learners

: an official limit on the number or amount of people or things that are allowed
: a specific amount or number that is expected to be achieved

QUOTA Defined for Kids

quota

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noun quo·ta \ˈkwō-tə\

Definition of quota for Students

1 : a limit on the number or amount of people or things that are allowed a quota on imported goods
2 : a share assigned to each member of a group Each colony received its quota of troops.
3 : a specific amount or number of things that is expected to be achieved She sold her quota of candy bars.

Law Dictionary

quota

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noun quo·ta \ˈkwō-tə\

Legal Definition of quota

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