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
The metals tariffs were hiked to an effective increase of 25% as prior exemptions, exclusions and quotas expired.
—
David Shepardson, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2025
Hegseth has previously suggested that physical standards for combat jobs have been lowered to meet diversity quotas, a claim that past defense officials and Democrat lawmakers have disputed.
—Ellen Mitchell, The Hill, 14 Mar. 2025
Between the lines: Goldman is among several companies that have axed diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives after conservative blowback and a series of court rulings questioning quotas.
—Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi, Axios, 10 Mar. 2025
Some examples of Canadian Tariffs on U.S. Dairy outside of the limited quota include: Milk: Up to 243% ....
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quota
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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David Shepardson, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2025
Hegseth has previously suggested that physical standards for combat jobs have been lowered to meet diversity quotas, a claim that past defense officials and Democrat lawmakers have disputed.
—Ellen Mitchell, The Hill, 14 Mar. 2025
Between the lines: Goldman is among several companies that have axed diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives after conservative blowback and a series of court rulings questioning quotas.
—Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi, Axios, 10 Mar. 2025
Some examples of Canadian Tariffs on U.S. Dairy outside of the limited quota include: Milk: Up to 243% ....
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quota
Cite this Entry
“Quota.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quota. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
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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