1. A measurement that is equal to one fourth of something: "He was so hungry that he ate a quarter of the pie and drank a large glass of milk."

"I read one quarter of the book before I stopped to eat dinner."

2. A school term that is typically twelve weeks in length: "At the end of the first quarter at school, we had a short vacation."
3. A coin (United States, Canadian) that is worth one fourth of a dollar or a combination of small coins that will equal one fourth of a dollar: "My mother gave me one quarter to take to the store to spend on candy."
4. Any one of the four regions or directions on the horizon; for example, Easterly, etc.: "From the top of my roof, I could look over the quarter towards the sea and imagine I was sailing on a ship."
5. An unspecified individual or group: "The financial quarter of the city came to the rescue of the bankrupt newspaper."
6. A sector or division of a town: "The new immigrants tend to live in the old quarter of the town where rent is inexpensive."
7. A part of the moon's cycle that is divided into fourths: "On Friday, we will be able to see the first quarter of the moon."
8. One of four parts of a playing period in some sports: "The team won its first goal during the third quarter of the game."

1. To provide someone with a place to stay, usually for a short time: "The landlord said we could quarter our horse in the stable."

"The manager of the camp was quartering the family in the log cabin for a few days."

2. To divide something into four equal parts: "It is always a challenge to quarter a chocolate bar to share with his sister."

"His mother was busy quartering potatoes that would be cooked for the evening meal."