noun
plural -ters
[count] :one of four equal parts of something
[count] :a unit of something (such as weight or length) that equals one fourth of some larger unit
[count] :one of four divisions of an hour :a period of 15 minutes
[count] :one of four divisions of a year :a period of three months
[count] :one of four divisions of a school term usually lasting about 12 weeks
[count] :one of the four equal parts of the playing time of a game (such as basketball or American football)
[count] :a coin of the United States and Canada that is worth 25 cents
[count] :a person or group of people or an area in which people live
[count] :a part or area of a city
quarters [plural] :the place where someone lives
[count] :one of the two times during a month when a quarter of the moon's surface can be seen
at/in close quarters
close together usually in a very small space
no quarter
literary :no pity or mercy - used to say that an enemy, opponent, etc., is treated in a very harsh way
verb
-ters; -tered; -tering
[+ obj] to divide or separate (something) into four parts
to provide (someone) with a place to stay for a usually short period of time :to provide living quarters for (someone)
adjective
always used before a noun
equal or about nearly equal in size, value, amount, etc., to one fourth of something
US