qt
Abbreviation with 4 meanings
| Stands for | Quart |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 4 |
| Categories | Units & Measurements, Business & Finance, Texting & Internet Slang |
| Also written | QT |
qt has four meanings. The most common are Quart (US customary and imperial unit) and Quantitative tightening (economics); it can also stand for Quote tweet and Cutie.
Meanings of qt at a glance
| # | qt stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quart | Units & Measurements › US Customary and Imperial Unit |
| 2 | Quantitative tightening | Business & Finance › Economics |
| 3 | Quote tweet | Texting & Internet Slang › Social Media |
| 4 | Cutie | Texting & Internet Slang › Dating and Relationship |
1. Quart
Units & Measurements · US Customary and Imperial Unit Abbreviations
One quarter of a gallon: the US liquid quart is 32 fl oz, about 946 mL, slightly less than a liter, while the imperial quart is about 1.137 liters. Motor oil, ice cream, milk and paint are sold by the quart in the United States.
Example: The engine takes 5 qt of 0W-20 synthetic oil with a filter change.
The US also has a dry quart of about 1.10 liters for produce such as strawberries. Two pints make a quart and four quarts make a gallon. A common memory aid draws "Gallon Man": a big G containing four Qs, each holding two Ps, each holding two Cs for cups.
2. Quantitative tightening (QT)
Business & Finance · Economics Abbreviations
Process by which a central bank shrinks its balance sheet after quantitative easing, either by letting bonds mature without reinvesting the proceeds or by actively selling them. It tends to push up long-term interest rates and drain liquidity from the financial system.
Example: The Fed slowed the pace of QT, allowing only $5 billion of Treasuries to roll off each month.
The Federal Reserve ran QT from 2017 to 2019 and again from June 2022, gradually slowing the pace of runoff later on. The Bank of England went further by actively selling gilts from 2022. A squeeze in US money markets in September 2019 showed that shrinking reserves too far can cause funding stress.
3. Quote tweet (QT)
Texting & Internet Slang · Social Media Abbreviations
Repost on X (Twitter) that adds the user's own comment above the original post, used for commentary, agreement or mockery. Also used as a verb, "she QT'd him."
Example: The QT replies are brutal, everyone's correcting his math.
Twitter introduced the feature in 2015 as "Retweet with comment." QTs are known for "dunking," where users quote a post to ridicule it before their own followers, which can bring a pile-on. In older slang QT also spells "cutie," and "on the QT" means secretly, unrelated to the platform feature.
4. Cutie (QT)
Texting & Internet Slang · Dating and Relationship Abbreviations
Compliment calling someone cute, typed as the letters' sound, "kyoo-tee." Used in flirty texts, captions and comments, as in "what a qt."
Example: You're such a qt in your new glasses, I'm obsessed.
Popular in early internet chat and still used playfully. On X (Twitter) QT means "quote tweet," and the older idiom "on the QT" means secretly, so context matters. Common in phrases such as "qt pie," mocked as cheesy.
Related abbreviations
More US customary and imperial unit abbreviations
- oz – Ounce (avoirdupois)
- ozt – Troy ounce
- pk – Peck
- pt – Pint
- rd – Rod
- SAE – Society of Automotive Engineers (inch-size tools)
- SF – Square feet (construction and real estate)
- sq ft – Square foot
See all 43 US customary and imperial unit abbreviations →