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
quarterbacked; quarterbacking; quarterbacks
1
: to direct the offensive play of
quarterback a football team
2
: to give executive direction to : boss
… quarterbacked the original buying syndicate.—
Time
Time
: to play quarterback
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
Sam Warren, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Short but sweet Jacksonville took advantage of perhaps the most famous offseason haircut with quarterback Trevor Lawrence getting his long locks cut short on camera after introducing the Jaguars’ schedule that then plays out on the screen edited down to less than 2 minutes.
—Teresa M. Walker, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2026
Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 May 2026
That’s because former Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, who had a resurgent 2025 season with the Colts, is coming off a ruptured Achilles.
—Charlotte Carroll, New York Times, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for quarterback
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Noun
Las Vegas moved on from the quarterback this offseason in favor of Cousins and Mendoza, less than a year after giving Smith more than $58 million guaranteed.
—Sam Warren, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Short but sweet Jacksonville took advantage of perhaps the most famous offseason haircut with quarterback Trevor Lawrence getting his long locks cut short on camera after introducing the Jaguars’ schedule that then plays out on the screen edited down to less than 2 minutes.
—Teresa M. Walker, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2026
Verb
Thanks to quarterback Jack Plummer, the Orlando Storm (6-2) got the rushing game going Friday night and also clinched a UFL playoff spot in the process, scoring their most points of the season in a 31-24 victory at Dallas.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 May 2026
That’s because former Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, who had a resurgent 2025 season with the Colts, is coming off a ruptured Achilles.
—Charlotte Carroll, New York Times, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for quarterback
Cite this Entry
“Quarterback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quarterback. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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