winter quarters

noun

plural in form but singular or plural in construction
: a winter residence or station (as of a military unit or a circus)

Examples of winter quarters in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus was based out of the Florida town, drawing tourists from around the world to see Modoc and the other animals in their winter quarters. Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 25 June 2023 In April 1520, Magellan ordered winter quarters in the harbor of San Julián, in eastern Patagonia. Gerard Helferich, WSJ, 14 Aug. 2022 Hornet queens tend to emerge from winter quarters in the spring and establish nests to birth worker hornets. Nicholas K. Geranios, USA TODAY, 25 May 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'winter quarters.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1632, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of winter quarters was in 1632

Dictionary Entries Near winter quarters

Cite this Entry

“Winter quarters.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/winter%20quarters. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

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