I. quar ‧ ter 1 S1 W2 /ˈkwɔːtə $ ˈkwɔːrtər/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ quarter , quarters, ↑ quarterly ; verb : ↑ quarter ; adverb : ↑ quarterly ; adjective : ↑ quarterly ]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: quartier , from Latin quartarius , from quartus 'fourth' ]
1 . AMOUNT one of four equal parts into which something can be divided ⇨ half , third
a/one quarter (of something)
a quarter of a mile
roughly one quarter of the city’s population
It’s about a page and a quarter.
three quarters (of something) (=75%)
three quarters of a million pounds
the first/second etc quarter
in the last quarter of the 19th century
Cut the cake into quarters.
► Say a quarter of something, not ‘quarter of’ something.
2 . PART OF AN HOUR a period of 15 minutes:
I’ll meet you in a quarter of an hour.
She arrived three quarters of an hour (=45 minutes) late.
(a) quarter to (something) (also (a) quarter of (something) )American English (=15 minutes before the hour)
It’s a quarter of two.
(a) quarter past (something) British English also (a) quarter after (something) )American English (=15 minutes after the hour)
I’ll meet you at a quarter past ten.
3 . MONEY a coin used in the US and Canada worth 25 cents
4 . THREE MONTHS a period of three months, used especially when discussing business and financial matters
the first/second/third/fourth quarter
The company’s profits rose by 11% in the first quarter of the year.
Our database is updated every quarter.
⇨ ↑ quarterly (1)
5 . SPORT one of the four equal periods of time into which games of some sports are divided
the first/second/third/fourth quarter
The home side took the lead in the second quarter.
6 . PART OF A CITY [usually singular] an area of a town:
I found a small flat in the student quarter.
Granada’s ancient Arab quarter
a historic quarter of the city
7 . HOME quarters [plural] the rooms that are given to someone to live in as part of their job, especially servants or soldiers:
The top floor provided living quarters for the kitchen staff.
Most of the officers live in married quarters (=houses where soldiers live with their wives) .
8 . COLLEGE American English one of the four periods into which a year at school or college is divided, continuing for 10 to 12 weeks ⇨ semester :
What classes are you taking this quarter?
9 . MOON the period of time twice a month when you can see a quarter of the moon’s surface
10 . in/from ... quarters among or from different groups of people:
Offers of financial help came from several quarters.
Doubts were expressed in many quarters.
11 . all quarters of the Earth/globe literary everywhere in the world
12 . give/receive no quarter literary if someone gives no quarter, they do not show any pity or gentleness when dealing with someone, especially an enemy:
It was a fight to the death, with no quarter given.
⇨ at close quarters at ↑ close 2 (20)
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ area a part of a town or country, or of the world:
They live in a very wealthy area.
|
coastal areas
▪ region a large area of a country or the world:
the northwest region of Russia
|
desert regions
▪ zone an area that is different from other areas around it in some way:
a war zone
|
a no-parking zone
|
We crossed two different time zonesareas where there is a particular time compared to the rest of the world.
▪ district one of the areas a city or town is officially divided into, or an area of a city where a particular group live or an activity happens:
the Chelsea district of Manhattan
| the business/financial/theatre etc district :
the financial district of London
▪ neighbourhood British English , neighborhood American English /ˈneɪbəhʊd $ -ər-/ an area of a town where people live:
a friendly neighbourhood
|
There are lots of trees in our neighborhood.
▪ suburb an area outside the centre of a city, where people live:
a suburb of Boston
▪ quarter an area of a town or city where people of a particular nationality live:
the French quarter of New Orleans
▪ slum an area of a city that is in very bad condition, where many poor people live:
He grew up in the slums of East London.
▪ ghetto an area of a city where poor people of a particular race or class live:
a black baby born in the ghetto
II. quarter 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ quarter , quarters, ↑ quarterly ; verb : ↑ quarter ; adverb : ↑ quarterly ; adjective : ↑ quarterly ]
1 . to cut or divide something into four parts ⇨ halve :
Quarter the tomatoes and place them round the dish.
2 . [usually passive] formal to provide someone with a place to sleep and eat, especially soldiers:
Our troops were quartered in Boston until June.