quarterback
noun
quar·ter·back
| \ ˈkwȯ(r)-tər-ˌbak
\
\
Definition of quarterback
(Entry 1 of 2)
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
quarterback
verb
quarterbacked;
quarterbacking;
quarterbacks
Definition of quarterback (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to direct the offensive play of
quarterback a football team
2
: to give executive direction to : boss
quarterbacked the original buying syndicate — Time
: to play quarterback
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Synonyms for quarterback
Synonyms: Verb
boss, captain, handle, head, overlook, oversee, superintend, supervise
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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: Noun
Fields’ skillset isn’t one that leans toward the safe side of playing quarterback. — Stephen Means, cleveland.com, "Justin Fields’ most important job this season will be taking as few hits as possible," 4 Sep. 2019 For Auburn and its fans, beating a Pac-12 contender in a neutral-site game thanks to a comeback by a true freshman starting quarterback is worth celebrating. — Christopher Smith, al, "Don’t assume Auburn -18 against Tulane is easy money," 3 Sep. 2019 Cutting Nate Orchard, Akeem Spence, Tank Carradine and Vincent Taylor watered down an already thin defensive line, and will put an added burden on everyone else’s shoulders to stop the run and pressure quarterbacks. — Keven Lerner, sun-sentinel.com, "Miami Dolphins’ 53-man roster breakdown: Only 22 players from last season’s team on this year’s roster," 3 Sep. 2019 Jawon Pass returns as the Cardinals' starting quarterback after throwing for 1,960 yards, eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2018. — Alaa Abdeldaiem, SI.com, "Notre Dame vs. Louisville Live Stream: How to Watch Online, TV Channel, Time," 2 Sep. 2019 Baker’s coverage skills allow him to handle tailbacks coming out the backfield or blitz the quarterback. — Omar Kelly, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Kelly: Here’s a look at the Miami Dolphins’ highs and lows from training camp and preseason | Commentary," 1 Sep. 2019 Bonnafon was the Cardinals starting quarterback as a freshman, but was supplanted by Jackson the following season. — Rana L. Cash, The Courier-Journal, "Former Louisville football star Reggie Bonnafon makes Carolina Panthers roster," 31 Aug. 2019 Crabtree, making his debut at starting quarterback for the Seahawks, completed 13 of 21 passes for 245 yards and a touchdown, a 32-yard strike to Alcaraz. — Matt Szabo, Daily Pilot, "Ocean View football grinds to season-opening victory over Los Amigos," 30 Aug. 2019 Harbaugh compared him to Andrew Luck, who had played quarterback for Harbaugh at Stanford. — Shannon Ryan, chicagotribune.com, "Brandon Peters’ 1st 3 college seasons were a roller coaster. Now he’s out to prove himself as Illinois’ starting QB: ‘It gives you a fire inside.’," 29 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Lions Matthew Stafford has quarterbacked Detroit the past 10 seasons with zero playoff victories. — Kyle Fredrickson, The Denver Post, "NFC preview: Will new coaching staff propel Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay back to title chase?," 5 Sep. 2019 The Texans signed the former St. Paul’s Episcopal football and baseball star and Alabama All-American to serve as the backup to quarterback Deshaun Watson. — Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, "Alabama NFL roundup: AJ McCarron out of cast," 30 Aug. 2019 Sanders quarterbacked the junior varsity as a freshman and rarely saw action on the varsity squad. — Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, "Turnovers doom Johnson in loss to Minneapolis North, which might’ve found the next Tyler Johnson," 30 Aug. 2019 The spots star the Texans wide receiver, Texans quarterback Deshaun Watkins and H-E-B president Scott McClelland. — Marcy De Luna, Houston Chronicle, "Texans Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins star in new H-E-B commercials," 11 July 2019 But … a season that doesn’t end with a playoff win over an opponent not quarterbacked by Connor Cook will make six straight for the franchise. — Conor Orr, SI.com, "The NFL’s Seven Hottest Seats," 19 June 2019 McCarron is slated to serve as the backup to quarterback Deshaun Watson for Houston this season. — Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, "Injury endangers AJ McCarron’s preseason availability for Texans," 7 Aug. 2019 This is a strange preseason for Browns fans used to quarterback battles and preseason games carrying some semblance of meaning. — Dan Labbe, cleveland.com, "What we’re watching in Thursday’s preseason opener: Orange and Brown Talk podcast," 6 Aug. 2019 The offensive line — not quarterback Kirk Cousins or running back Dalvin Cook — will be the engine that determines the Vikings’ success. — Charley Walters, Twin Cities, "Charley Walters: Twins weigh options as trade deadline nears," 20 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'quarterback.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for quarterback
quarterback
noun
English Language Learners Definition of quarterback
(Entry 1 of 2)
American football
: a player who leads a team's attempts to score usually by passing the ball to other players
quarterback
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of quarterback (Entry 2 of 2)
US
American football
: to play the position of quarterback for (a team)
: to lead or organize (something) by making important decisions
See the full definition for quarterback in the English Language Learners Dictionary
quarterback
noun
quar·ter·back
| \ ˈkwȯr-tər-ˌbak
\
\
Kids Definition of quarterback
: a football player who leads a team's attempts to score usually by passing the ball to other players
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