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
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
Despite the agency's aggressive tactics to accomplish this — including arresting immigrants inside immigration courts — the quota was never met.
—
Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, NPR, 15 June 2026
The Americans, Swiss and tourists from elsewhere did a noble job in taking the teetotalling Qatari’s quota there.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 13 June 2026
As salmon and steelhead migration quota are reached, water releases will be decreased throughout the second half of June, according to Ayalin.
—Idaho Statesman, 12 June 2026
When tested, the key returned a quota exhaustion error, indicating that attackers had found it first and were actively using it before anyone in the organization had noticed.
—Santhosh Jayaprakash, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for quota
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Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, NPR, 15 June 2026
The Americans, Swiss and tourists from elsewhere did a noble job in taking the teetotalling Qatari’s quota there.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 13 June 2026
As salmon and steelhead migration quota are reached, water releases will be decreased throughout the second half of June, according to Ayalin.
—Idaho Statesman, 12 June 2026
When tested, the key returned a quota exhaustion error, indicating that attackers had found it first and were actively using it before anyone in the organization had noticed.
—Santhosh Jayaprakash, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for quota
Cite this Entry
“Quota.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quota. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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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