quota

noun

quo·​ta ˈkwō-tə 

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

Synonyms

• portion
• share
• part
• percentage
• proportion
• allowance
• allotment

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

There are also quotas set per country for H-1B visas, and the visa is awarded by an annual lottery. —Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 8 Sep. 2025

Nonetheless, it must be noted that the OPEC+ quota increase - to incorporate the additional barrels - has continued to lag effective production increases by its members. —Gaurav Sharma, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025

This week, the country’s Ministry of Economy announced new quotas on footwear imports from China following a months-long investigation. —Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 5 Sep. 2025

This will mean that the 2026 quota limit will be reached even sooner. —Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin, from Latin quota pars how great a part

First Known Use

1618, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for quota

• chota
• cota
• biota
• iota
• lakota
• nonquota
• ricotta

Kids 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