misquote

American  

[mis-kwoht] / mɪsˈkwoʊt /

verb (used with or without object)

misquoted, misquoting

1. to quote incorrectly.

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noun

1. a quotation that is incorrect.

misquote British  

/ ˌmɪsˈkwəʊt /

verb

1. to quote (a text, speech, etc) inaccurately

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Other Word Forms

• misquotation noun
• misquoter noun

Etymology

Origin of misquote

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

Explanation

To misquote someone is to incorrectly repeat the words they've said. It's unethical for a journalist to deliberately misquote the subject of an interview. It's extremely common for people to misquote famous figures like Gandhi (who never literally said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world") and Machiavelli (who didn't exactly say, "The ends justify the means"). These examples can also be called misquotes. As with many words, Shakespeare is credited with being the first to use this combination of mis-, "wrong," and quote, "repeat or copy out exact words."

Example Sentences

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

From Slate • Nov. 26, 2025

At the Ivors, I accidentally misquote this back to him as "an unassailable guitar record".

From BBC • May 22, 2025

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

Facts are made in the image not of people, who misremember, misquote and misrepresent, but of books, immutable but mobile.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton