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
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
Indonesia requires that smartphones sold in the country are made up of at least 35% local components by value; Apple’s phones satisfy the quota as a result of the company’s investment in local software development.
—
Nicholas Gordon, Fortune Asia, 17 Apr. 2024
Hunters can only kill two rams with three-quarter curl or bigger, and the hunt ends within 48 hours after the quota is met.
—Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 11 Apr. 2024
However, the ban was reinstated in 2019 following pressure from local communities, the southern African nation now issuing hunting quotas for elephants and other species.
—Emma Ogao, ABC News, 4 Apr. 2024
Widespread anxiety that the best new jobs would go to foreigners led to a law that sets quotas for oil and gas companies to hire and contract with locals.
—Gaiutra Bahadur Keisha Scarville, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2024
The last thing any woman aims to be is a placeholder who was handed her position based on some quota system, and in any case, this isn't the role of affirmative action.
—Abiola Salami, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Several states, from Idaho to Minnesota and Maine, have dramatically reduced hunting quotas at times to allow populations to recover.
—Scott Sonner, Quartz, 24 Mar. 2024
The top 10 Michigan cities with on-premise license numbers that exceed their quotas are Detroit, Flint, Bay City, Jackson, Hamtramck, Saginaw, Wyandotte, Escanaba, Mt. Clemens and Iron Mountain, the report said.
—Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, 19 Mar. 2024
The board could also extend the current quota for three years.
—Patrick Whittle, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2024
Nicholas Gordon, Fortune Asia, 17 Apr. 2024
Hunters can only kill two rams with three-quarter curl or bigger, and the hunt ends within 48 hours after the quota is met.
—Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 11 Apr. 2024
However, the ban was reinstated in 2019 following pressure from local communities, the southern African nation now issuing hunting quotas for elephants and other species.
—Emma Ogao, ABC News, 4 Apr. 2024
Widespread anxiety that the best new jobs would go to foreigners led to a law that sets quotas for oil and gas companies to hire and contract with locals.
—Gaiutra Bahadur Keisha Scarville, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2024
The last thing any woman aims to be is a placeholder who was handed her position based on some quota system, and in any case, this isn't the role of affirmative action.
—Abiola Salami, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Several states, from Idaho to Minnesota and Maine, have dramatically reduced hunting quotas at times to allow populations to recover.
—Scott Sonner, Quartz, 24 Mar. 2024
The top 10 Michigan cities with on-premise license numbers that exceed their quotas are Detroit, Flint, Bay City, Jackson, Hamtramck, Saginaw, Wyandotte, Escanaba, Mt. Clemens and Iron Mountain, the report said.
—Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, 19 Mar. 2024
The board could also extend the current quota for three years.
—Patrick Whittle, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quota.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near quota
Cite this Entry
“Quota.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quota. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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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