first quarter

noun

, Astronomy.

1. the instant, approximately one week after a new moon, when one half of the moon's disk is illuminated by the sun.

first quarter

noun

1. one of the four principal phases of the moon, occurring between new moon and full moon, when half of the lighted surface is visible from earth Compare last quarter

Word History and Origins

Origin of first quarter¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Those same execs, however, admit to being unclear on the right strategy heading into the end of first quarter and that much of the planning is still focused on the short-term.

From Digiday

American will operate 45 percent fewer flights in the first quarter of 2021 compared with the same time period in 2019, they said.

From Washington Post

Still, the company said it would raise its dividend in the first quarter of 2021 by 4 percent from the previous quarter.

From Washington Post

While the timing of the iOS 14 changes remains uncertain, we would expect to see an impact beginning late in the first quarter.

From TechCrunch

Alipay processed over half of China’s third-party payments transactions in the first quarter of 2020, according to market researcher iResearch, while Tencent handled nearly 40% of the payments in the same period.

From TechCrunch

By contrast, John McCain, the eventual GOP nominee, had raised approximately $12.7 million in the first quarter of 2007 alone.

From The Daily Beast

I barely have a chance to settle in to my seat when the JV team storms out to a 20-2 lead at the end of the first quarter.

From The Daily Beast

Earlier this year Malaysian reported its worst first-quarter loss, of $137 million.

From The Daily Beast

In the first quarter, that led to lower spending—either through lower utilization, or lower prices, or some combination thereof.

From The Daily Beast

Private inventories fell by a stunning 70 percent in the first quarter of 2014 from the fourth quarter of 2013.

From The Daily Beast

This engine only took steam during the first quarter of its stroke, the remaining three-quarters were by the expansion.

From Project Gutenberg

The proofs of the first quarter of the book were in my hands before I had finished writing the last quarter.

From Project Gutenberg

Please send us the bill for our account for the first quarter, so that we can have it audited and send you a check.

From Project Gutenberg

At Viviers, it was observed that the number of rainy days was greatest at the first quarter, and least at the last.

From Project Gutenberg

They flourished most probably in the xiv first quarter of the twelfth century, as Thurkils treatise deals also with fractions.

From Project Gutenberg