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
For the past two decades, employers have exhausted the quota every year.
—
Stuart Anderson, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
The likes of Bradley, Quansah and Elliott were still classed as under-21s, although all three will become part of the homegrown quota this season as they were all born before January 1, 2004.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 14 May 2025
Listen to this article 4 min A legal firm and an activist group are pressuring the Indiana High School Athletics Association (IHSAA) board of directors, urging it to get rid of two DEI quotas for board members.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2025
Hunters must call each evening to determine if the quota has been met before the next day's hunt.
—Arkansas Online, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for quota
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Stuart Anderson, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
The likes of Bradley, Quansah and Elliott were still classed as under-21s, although all three will become part of the homegrown quota this season as they were all born before January 1, 2004.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 14 May 2025
Listen to this article 4 min A legal firm and an activist group are pressuring the Indiana High School Athletics Association (IHSAA) board of directors, urging it to get rid of two DEI quotas for board members.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2025
Hunters must call each evening to determine if the quota has been met before the next day's hunt.
—Arkansas Online, 13 May 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 25 May. 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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