quarterback

1 of 2

noun

quar·​ter·​back ˈkwȯ(r)-tər-ˌbak 

1

: an offensive back in football who usually lines up behind the center, calls the signals, and directs the offensive play of the team

2

: one who directs and leads

quarterback

2 of 2

verb

quarterbacked; quarterbacking; quarterbacks

transitive verb

1

: to direct the offensive play of

quarterback a football team

2

: to give executive direction to : boss

quarterbacked the original buying syndicate

—Time

intransitive verb

: to play quarterback

Synonyms

Verb

• boss
• captain
• handle
• head
• overlook
• oversee
• superintend
• supervise

Examples of quarterback in a Sentence

Verb

He quarterbacked his high school team.

She quarterbacked the company's latest ad campaign.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Going around shouting and hugging teammates was quarterback Brady Smigiel. —Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2024

That means Wisconsin likely isn’t done with its quarterback revamp this offseason. —Jesse Temple, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024

Verb

She’s been seen sitting and celebrating in the stands with Brittany Mahomes and Lyndsay Bell, who are married to quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Blake Bell, respectively. —Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 26 Nov. 2024

The Bears fell to the lowly New England Patriots, who had rookie Drake Maye quarterbacking their offense. —Scott Thompson, Fox News, 13 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1892, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing quarterback

• Monday-morning quarterback
• quarterback sneak

Kids Definition

quarterback

noun

quar·​ter·​back

ˈkwȯ(r)t-ər-ˌbak

: an offensive football back who calls the signals and directs the offensive play of the team

quarterback verb