Meaning & use
quartermaster
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Meanings
nouncountablemilitary
A military officer or official responsible for providing troops with food, clothing, equipment, and quarters.
Grammar: Usually countable; the supply role is common in army contexts, while ship use differs.
Patterns
- an army quartermaster
- quartermaster supplies
- quartermaster for a unit
The quartermaster checked winter boots and tents before the exercise began.
As quartermaster, she managed fuel, rations, and spare radios for the battalion.
nouncountablemilitaryspecialist
On a ship, a petty officer who steers, keeps time, and handles signals or navigation duties.
Grammar: Countable; this nautical sense concerns the wheel and signals, not stores or provisions.
Patterns
- a ship's quartermaster
- quartermaster at the wheel
- quartermaster on the bridge
The quartermaster steadied the wheel as the ship entered the narrow channel.
A trainee quartermaster practiced flag signals beside the bridge.
Word forms
| plural | quartermasters |
|---|
Common combinations
- army quartermaster
- The army quartermaster ordered extra blankets before the mountain patrol.
- quartermaster stores
- Shelves in the quartermaster stores held boots, ropes, and mess kits.
- ship's quartermaster
- The ship's quartermaster logged each change of course.
- deputy quartermaster
- A deputy quartermaster signed for the delivered medical crates.
Synonyms and how they differ
- supply officer
- A modern military role close to the first sense; quartermaster can also include quarters and historical duties.
- logistics officer
- Broader and more modern, covering transport and supply chains rather than the traditional title.
- navigator
- Only partly close to the ship sense; a navigator plans routes, while a quartermaster may steer and handle signals.
Word family
Commonly confused: quartermaster or master-at-arms? quartermaster or quarter?
quartermaster vs master-at-arms
A master-at-arms keeps order and discipline; a quartermaster deals mainly with supplies or steering.
quartermaster vs quarter
A quarter is one fourth; quartermaster is a fixed compound and not about fractions.
Practice
A military officer whose job is to issue food, uniforms, and tents to soldiers is a ___.
Choose one answer.
Supplying troops matches the military sense of quartermaster; the other options name unrelated occupations.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “quartermaster”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.