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

Henderson had 250 yards rushing and quarterback Andrew Edwards had three touchdowns passing in a 44-10 victory at Northwestern Oklahoma last Saturday. —Rex Nelson, arkansasonline.com, 5 Nov. 2024

Week 6: Bears 35, Jaguars 16 in London Bears quarterback Caleb Williams had a few words with himself on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium sideline. —Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2024

Verb

In 2002, when Texans quarterback David Carr led the team to victory over the Dallas Cowboys in the Houston franchise's inaugural season. —Jay R. Jordan, Axios, 13 Sep. 2024

In a matchup against Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud — another Stafford fan — Williams was 23 of 37 for 174 yards, with two interceptions, in a 19-13 defeat. —Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 27 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