quartet

noun

quar·​tet kwȯr-ˈtet 

variants or less commonly quartette

1

: a musical composition for four instruments or voices

2

: a group or set of four

especially : the performers of a quartet

Examples of quartet in a Sentence

He is a member of a jazz quartet.

a string quartet by Beethoven

The author wrote a quartet of novels about the same character.

Recent Examples on the Web

Herman Hesse in the former or listening to the Ron Enyard jazz quartet set up in the back of the latter. —Keith Pandolfi, The Enquirer, 29 Aug. 2025

But the Brooklyn, New York, quartet is as much concerned with the future as the past. —Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 29 Aug. 2025

By last September, Young introduced a new quartet, the Chrome Hearts, which includes veteran collaborator Spooner Oldham on organ and the rhythm section from another of his collectives, Promise of the Real. —Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025

Imrie rounds out the core quartet of The Thursday Murder Club as Joyce Meadowcroft, an excitable nurse. —Randall Colburn, EW.com, 28 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Italian quartetto, from quarto fourth, from Latin quartus — more at quart

First Known Use

1773, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing quartet

• barbershop quartet
• string quartet

Rhymes for quartet

• abet
• asset
• baguette
• banquette
• barbette
• beget
• beset
• brevet
• briquette
• brunet
• brunette
• burette

Kids Definition

quartet

noun

quar·​tet

variants also quartette

kwȯr-ˈtet 

1

a

: a musical composition for four instruments or voices

b

: the performers of a quartet

2

: a group or set of four