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 of quota

• 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

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its ten affiliated states (known as OPEC+) has contentious quotas around oil production. — Dina Esfandiary, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2026

Canada has also imposed tariffs on automobiles from the United States, but not other countries, along with more restrictive tariff-rate quotas on cheese from the United States, the officials said. — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2026

The move raised the tariff-rate quota on Argentine beef by 80,000 metric tons. — Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Imports above those quotas can face prohibitively high tariffs, effectively restricting additional US dairy sales. — Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

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