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:
The optimists cite robust earnings growth; the pessimists see a bubble in danger of bursting.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 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
Social psychologists cite a decline in “third spaces” outside of home and work, screens monopolizing our time and an adult trajectory where marriage, parenthood and homeownership arrive later, if ever.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
But they fail to offer evidence that the innovations they cite have improved education.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
When it comes to the lure of technology and the way it stimulates people, there’s one more comparison that researchers widely cite.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
Kigali considers it a security threat and cites its presence in eastern DR Congo to justify its military posture.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 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
It accuses Indyke of deliberately structuring cash withdrawals just below the $10,000 federal reporting threshold and cites a 2017 email in which Kahn wrote about the “latest batch of medical expenses for girls.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
Schmidt cites a risk-averse culture, high energy costs, low university funding and above all, over-regulation.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026
To get a better sense of the decimation, McAuliffe looked at the Authentic Osage Indian Roll Book, which cites the deaths of many of the original allotted members of the tribe.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
The majority cited a 2013 opinion written by the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
At campaign events in the Rio Grande Valley in September, several voters cited Hinojosa’s identity and approach to politics as a motivating factor.
From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2026
He cited a few reasons why he believes stocks would be particularly vulnerable in such a scenario.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 1, 2026
Chatbots also "put the wrong words in the mouths of candidates, officials, and observers hundreds of times" and frequently cited "poor quality" sources, such as Reddit threads, Forum AI said.
From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026
This provoked the fury of most of the accused, and it was only Chief Luthuli’s restraining hand that kept a number of the defendants from being cited for contempt as well.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
The reviewers rated their confidence in the available evidence as low or very low, citing small study populations, conflicting findings, and potential bias in how the trials were conducted.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026
“You know who I am. I am the same person as I have been,” Bass said, citing her roots in South L.A., where she was a community organizer as a young adult.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026
Chipmaker Intel was the hardest hit, with its shares sinking as much as 30 percent after it gave a weaker-than-expected revenue forecast for the fourth quarter, citing weakness in the PC market and manufacturing bottlenecks.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
The spending increase from the third to fourth quarters seems likely to be bigger in 2026 than in prior years, Bernstein says, citing AstraZeneca’s investor-relations department.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
I did not wish to depart from citing recent Italian examples, yet I do not want to omit Hiero of Syracuse, one of those I mentioned above.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
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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.
