quarter
A2 (Very High)Neutral (Used in formal, informal, academic, and technical contexts)
Definition
Meaning
One of four equal parts of something.
A period of time equal to three months (one fourth of a year); a specific district or section of a city; a coin worth 25 cents (US) or 2½ pence (UK, historical); mercy or clemency shown to a defeated opponent; a specific phase of the moon; the division of an academic year or a sports match.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The core meaning of division into four is consistent, but specific applications (coin, time, mercy, area) are highly context-dependent.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Primarily in currency (UK 'quarter' as a coin is obsolete; US 'quarter' is standard) and housing (UK 'student quarters'; US 'living quarters'). Time and fraction uses are identical.
Connotations
In military/formal contexts, 'quarters' for accommodation is more common in US English. In UK English, 'quarter' in 'student quarters' sounds dated. 'No quarter given' (no mercy) is historical/literary in both.
Frequency
US frequency is higher due to the common currency term. UK usage is slightly more weighted towards time ('first quarter') and fractions ('a quarter of an hour').
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
quarter something (in/into something)be quartered on/with someonequarter oneself somewhereVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “at close quarters”
- “give no quarter”
- “a bad quarter of an hour”
- “quarter of”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
"Q3 profits were up by 15%." (Third quarter of the financial year)
Academic
"The research is scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2024."
Everyday
"I'll meet you at a quarter past three."
Technical
"The moon is in its first quarter." (Astronomy)
Examples
By Part of Speech
noun
British English
- Cut the apple into quarters.
- Rent is due on the usual quarter day.
- The team rallied in the final quarter.
- He found cheap quarters near the university.
American English
- Do you have a quarter for the parking meter?
- The company's fourth-quarter earnings were stellar.
- The French Quarter in New Orleans is famous.
- The soldiers were confined to their quarters.
verb
British English
- The apple was quartered for the pie.
- The regiment was quartered in the old barracks.
American English
- Quarter the onions before you sauté them.
- During the manoeuvres, troops were quartered with local families.
adjective
British English
- She bought a quarter-pound of cheese.
- It's a quarter-scale model of the ship.
American English
- He ran a quarter-mile race.
- We need a quarter-inch drill bit.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- A quarter of the cake is gone.
- It's a quarter past four.
- The company's profits rose in the last quarter.
- We live in the historic quarter of the city.
- The research will be published in the coming quarter.
- The enemy was given no quarter.
- The board reviewed the quarterly report in detail.
- Archaeologists are excavating the artisans' quarter of the ancient city.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a QUART of milk (which is a quarter of a gallon) or a QUARTer of a dollar (25 cents).
Conceptual Metaphor
CONTAINER FOR DIVISION (The whole is a container divided into four parts); AREA IS A SLICE (A city district is a slice of the whole).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct translation for 'жилой квартал' -> use 'residential area/block'. 'Квартал' for a three-month period is correct. Do not use 'quarter' for a city block in the US sense (e.g., 'Walk two blocks').
Common Mistakes
- Using 'quarter' for a 15-minute period without 'of an hour' or 'past/to' ('I'll be there in a quarter' is incomplete). Confusing 'a quarter of' (UK) with 'a quarter to' (US/UK). Overusing 'quarters' to mean just 'rooms'.
Practice
Quiz
In which context does 'quarter' NOT imply division into four?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
In its core fractional sense, yes. In time (e.g., 'first quarter of the year') and other contexts, it implies one of four sequential parts, not necessarily equal in all measurable aspects (e.g., days per quarter vary).
'A quarter of an hour' is the duration (15 minutes). 'A quarter past' and 'a quarter to' are points in time relative to the hour. In British English, 'a quarter of' can also mean 'a quarter to' (e.g., 'a quarter of three' means 2:45), which is rare in American English.
No. When referring to accommodation or lodgings, it is almost always plural ('living quarters', 'headquarters'). The singular 'quarter' is used for the fraction, coin, district, etc.
It's less common than the noun. It's used in cooking (to cut into four) and historically/militarily for providing lodging. It sounds formal or technical.