quota

Everyday

1. A fixed amount or number of something that a person, group or country is allowed to have, or must reach. tree →
2. A limit on how many things can come in or be sold, for example a quota on fish that can be caught. tree →
3. (work) A target number of jobs or sales a worker must do in a set time. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life, quotas set limits (fishing quotas protect fish so they do not run out) or targets (a salesperson's monthly quota). In school maths, a quota is a share or fixed number: if each class has a quota of 5 tickets, 6 classes get 30 tickets. In the news, quotas appear in talk about trade, fishing and immigration. Phrases: meet the quota, fill a quota, a fishing quota, over quota, a daily quota.

Examples

• Each class has a quota of five tickets for the school play. tree →
• Fishing boats must not catch more than their quota of cod. tree →
• I have reached my screen-time quota for today. tree →
• The factory had to meet its quota of 500 bikes a week. tree →
• Mum jokes that she has used up her quota of patience. tree →
• Some countries set a quota on how many cars can be imported. tree →
• If each of 8 teams has a quota of 12 players, there are 96 players in all. tree →

Note

Countable: one quota, two quotas. In maths problems, a quota is usually a fixed number per person or group: multiply the quota by the number of groups to get the total, and anything over the quota is the extra. Do not confuse with "quote" (words someone said).