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
The suit also criticizes ChatGPT’s propensity to agree with users, arguing that the service’s sycophancy can lead users to develop dangerous psychological attachment to the platform and cause users to pay money to unlock more generous usage quotas.
—
Jared Perlo, NBC news, 1 June 2026
Godinez gave Iheanachor a peanut butter and jelly quota — eight to 10 sandwiches a day in and around his meals, plus half a gallon of chocolate milk.
—Mike Defabo, New York Times, 1 June 2026
Whether or not it's called a quota, police officers face pressure to hand out tickets and make arrests.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 1 June 2026
That decade, Serie A loosened its prohibition on foreigners, setting quotas that allowed three foreign players per club by 1988.
—Albert Samaha, New Yorker, 30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for quota
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Jared Perlo, NBC news, 1 June 2026
Godinez gave Iheanachor a peanut butter and jelly quota — eight to 10 sandwiches a day in and around his meals, plus half a gallon of chocolate milk.
—Mike Defabo, New York Times, 1 June 2026
Whether or not it's called a quota, police officers face pressure to hand out tickets and make arrests.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 1 June 2026
That decade, Serie A loosened its prohibition on foreigners, setting quotas that allowed three foreign players per club by 1988.
—Albert Samaha, New Yorker, 30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for quota
Cite this Entry
“Quota.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quota. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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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