quarters
Britishplural noun
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housing or accommodation, esp as provided for military personnel and their families
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the stations assigned to military personnel, esp to each crew member of a warship
general quarters
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(in India) housing provided by an employer or by the government
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slang (functioning as singular) military short for quartermaster
Explanation
A place for people to live, especially if they're in the military, can be called quarters. If you join the Army, your quarters might be a dorm-like space that you share with many other people. You can use this word to mean "housing" generally, although it's most common for soldiers and servants to live in quarters. A wealthy family with maids and a butler who live in their house might set aside servants' quarters on the top floor, for example. During the period of slavery in the US, slaves also lived in quarters. If you and your brother live in "close quarters," it means the two of you share a fairly small room.
Vocabulary lists containing quarters
The Lion of Mars
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I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912
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Three Keys
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mpox is unlikely to spread through casual contact, or in close quarters like on a plane or in an office or store, state health officials say.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026
Yet there have also been queries about Newcastle's direction of travel from external quarters as the wait for updates concerning the future of St James' Park and a new state-of-the-art training ground goes on.
From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026
While acknowleding the possibility of mild investor disappointment versus the run-up in expectations, he still fancies estimates to be raised over the next few quarters.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026
Winter weather also caused some business in the company’s warehousing segment to be deferred until the second and third quarters, resulting in a 5 cent per share impact.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
I crossed the room, hurrying toward our living quarters, my shoes crunching against the pale green shards.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
