citation
Americannoun
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citations
plural
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Military. mention of a soldier or a unit in orders, usually for gallantry.
She received a presidential citation.
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any award or commendation, as for outstanding service, hard work, or devotion to duty, especially a formal letter or statement recounting a person's achievements.
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a summons, especially to appear in court.
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a document containing such a summons.
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the act of citing or quoting a reference to an authority or a precedent.
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a passage cited; quotation.
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Also a quotation showing a particular word or phrase in context.
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Also mention or enumeration.
noun
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the quoting of a book or author in support of a fact
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a passage or source cited for this purpose
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a listing or recounting, as of facts
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an official commendation or award, esp for bravery or outstanding service, work, etc, usually in the form of a formal statement made in public
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law
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an official summons to appear in court
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the document containing such a summons
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law the quoting of decided cases to serve as guidance to a court
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of citation
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English citacio(u)n, from Late Latin citātiōn- (stem of citātiō ), equivalent to Latin citāt(us), past participle of citāre “to set in motion, call before a court” + -iōn- noun suffix; see origin at cite 1 , -ion
Explanation
If you hear you’re getting a citation, wait before bragging about it. A citation can be an official award, but it can also mean something less thrilling, like a summons to appear in court. If you climb a tree and rescue a frightened cat, the mayor might present you with a citation for bravery. If you're hurrying to the ceremony and your mom speeds and gets a traffic citation, her insurance company might raise her premiums. Citation comes from the Latin citationem, which means “to call forward.” You can think of the mayor calling you forward to receive your plaque, or the judge calling your mom forward to receive her fine. A citation can also be a quote, like a passage in a newspaper article describing your cat-saving feat as "an act of heroism."
Vocabulary lists containing citation
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Grammar
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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.
See Examples For:
Two former winners - Suede and Dave - receive nominations, while Florence + The Machine picks up a fourth citation for her thunderous new album, Everybody Scream.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
An officer reviews the footage before issuing a flat-rated $93 citation, which is sent to the registered owner of the offending vehicle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
“Issuing a citation is never off the books,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
"Because no lawyer knows all past cases, when a chatbot outputs something that looks like a law citation, the only way to know it actually exists is to check it," he added.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
“What kind of citation you going to get?”
From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway
Late last month, the county's public health department fined Lineage for "unsanitary and nuisance" conditions with $500-a-day citations.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Law enforcement for the National Park Service told AFP in June that five people were arrested for vandalism and five others were issued federal citations.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
“Waymo reviews all received citations and may engage with the court to address and resolve them, including contesting cases on their merit if we believe they were issued erroneously,” a company spokesman said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
As they left, their citations in hand, an agent in charge said, “Tell everyone how nice we were to you.”
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
The officer read the citations and explained that even though they were all misdemeanors, I had been processed and would still have to appear in court.
From "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds
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.
