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

If Love isn’t active on Sunday, Clifford will almost certainly be activated from the practice squad and be the backup quarterback. —Rob Reischel, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024

Dane Mizutani: Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold finally has a support system. —Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 10 Sep. 2024

Verb

Cowboys Coach Mike Gundy, who quarterbacked Oklahoma State from 1986-89, likes the idea of frequent matchups with the Razorbacks, whose campus is 180 miles from Stillwater as the closest out-of-state program in the Power 4. —Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 7 Sep. 2024

During the 2000 season, the Chargers quarterbacks Leaf, Harbaugh and Moses Moreno spent their weekly off-days playing golf together. —Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 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