cite
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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cites,
present (3rd person singular)
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cited,
past participle, past
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citing
present participle
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to quote (a passage, book, author, etc.), especially as an authority.
He cited the Constitution in his defense.
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to mention in support, proof, or confirmation; refer to as an example.
He cited many instances of abuse of power.
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to summon officially or authoritatively to appear in court.
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to call to mind; recall.
citing my gratitude to him.
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Military. to mention (a soldier, unit, etc.) in orders, as for gallantry.
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to commend, as for outstanding service, hard work, or devotion to duty.
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to summon or call; rouse to action.
noun
verb
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to quote or refer to (a passage, book, or author) in substantiation as an authority, proof, or example
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to mention or commend (a soldier, etc) for outstanding bravery or meritorious action
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to summon to appear before a court of law
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to enumerate
he cited the king's virtues
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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citernoun
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citableadjective
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citeableadjective
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noncitableadjective
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nonciteableadjective
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uncitableadjective
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unciteableadjective
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uncitedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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citesimple
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citessimple
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have citedperfect
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has citedperfect
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am citingprogressive
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are citingprogressive
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is citingprogressive
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have been citingperfect progressive
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has been citingperfect progressive
Past
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citedsimple
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had citedperfect
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was citingprogressive
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were citingprogressive
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had been citingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of cite1
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin citāre “to hurry, set in motion, summon before a court,” frequentative of ciēre “to move, set in motion”
Origin of cite2
An Americanism dating back to 1940–45; by shortening
Explanation
To cite something means to do right by whoever said it and give them credit — for instance, if you add a brilliant statement to a paper but you’re not the one who originally wrote it, you should cite, or point to, the original author. Using cite with the meaning "to reference" or "to note" is just one of several similar uses. A military or other official report can cite someone for an outstanding act of service, and a legal representative can cite individuals, or summon them, to show up in court. To cite a source when writing or verbally repeating something first spoken by someone else is to give a "citation" or "notation" that gives credit where credit is due.
Vocabulary lists containing cite
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 2
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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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:
Some of them will cite early-voting data, others wait times at polling locations, bad weather, or exit polls.
From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2026
The optimists cite robust earnings growth; the pessimists see a bubble in danger of bursting.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
At the time of her resignation she blamed burnout; she didn’t cite a principled reason until the New Yorker ran a gushing profile in November 2020.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
To cite a warning about shrinking water supply that experts in the West have been issuing for decades, “There is no soft landing.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Most of the books didn’t even cite Freud in their bibliographies.
From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok
Handler cites her experience as a Dudamel Fellow, in 2024, conducting “Swan Lake” selections for the orchestra’s youth series.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
The violation notice also cites the words “New York-style Jewish deli” on the website.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Robb cites examples such as “basis points,” “volatility” and “equities.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
The agreement repeatedly cites a set of “Implementation Documents” that will finalize the U.S. ownership stake and the rights of unnamed investors.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
As an example Bernstein cites He felt it offered the best opportunity to do fundamental research in chemistry, which was what he had taken his Doctor of Philosophy degree in.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Anthropic cited its surging revenue with enterprise customers in the IPO prospectus it filed last month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
In the company’s earnings release, CEO Matthew Prince cited an acceleration in enterprise customer demand.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
Kennedy has praised the Danish researchers as "the deities of vaccine research", and cited earlier findings from their work in support of concerns about vaccine safety.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
Gen. Trent McCotter on Tuesday cited the observation from U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
Mayor Clarkson could have cited his powerlessness, could have pleaded concern for his family, and fled the danger, as many other aldermen were doing.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
Goldman Sachs has lowered its forecast for gold prices, citing the potential for more Federal Reserve interest-rate hikes.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
The reason they split is unclear, and a police spokesperson declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
In contrast, Capital Economics expects BNM to keep rates unchanged through 2026 and 2027, citing the central bank’s view that inflation will remain contained.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Figueroa’s conviction was overturned by the state Supreme Court in 2018, citing false evidence in the original trial.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
A short obituary runs in the town paper, citing the names of Ashima and Gogol and Sonia, mentioning that the children had been educated at the local schools.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
