misquote

American

[mis-kwoht] / mɪsˈkwoʊt /

verb (used with or without object)

misquoted, misquoting

to quote incorrectly.

noun

a quotation that is incorrect.

misquote British

/ ˌmɪsˈkwəʊt /

verb

to quote (a text, speech, etc) inaccurately

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

misquotation noun
misquoter noun

Etymology

Origin of misquote

First recorded in 1590–1600; mis- ¹ + quote

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.

Ziegler did not merely misquote Moore; she inverted its holding to endorse the very idea it rejected.

From Slate • Nov. 26, 2025

"Reforming, reconfiguring, transforming healthcare is a slog, it's a grind. To misquote Logan Roy in Succession, it's a wrestle in the mud for a knife," he added.

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2024

And, to misquote a well-known Monty Python line, “no one ever expects a pandemic.”

From Seattle Times • Feb. 16, 2024

Green doubled down, asserting that he went back and confirmed the misquote himself.

From Salon • Feb. 6, 2024

Danny caught his father in a misquote, ran to get a Talmud from a shelf, and triumphantly showed his father where he had been wrong.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023