misquote

[mis-kwoht]

See more synonyms for misquote on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with or without object), mis·quot·ed, mis·quot·ing.

to quote incorrectly.

noun

a quotation that is incorrect.

Origin of misquote

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

Related formsmis·quot·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for misquote

Contemporary Examples

But to misquote an old financial adage, the property market can remain irrational longer than you are prepared to remain homeless.
London’s Oligarch Ghost Town
Tom Sykes
June 16, 2014
By terrifying coincidence, this was the one poem that Thatcher herself thought to recall and misquote when she first met Larkin.
Viva Hate: Inside the World of Morrissey
Michael Weiss
December 23, 2013
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to misquote it, as the Spanish philosopher George Santayana did not say.
Chris Christie Embarrasses Himself With Civil-Rights-History Flub
Paul Campos
February 1, 2012

Historical Examples

Looking about this institution, one is moved to misquote Robert Browning.
Dear Enemy
Jean Webster
The Socialist can quote Scripture for his purpose—and misquote it too.
British Socialism
J. Ellis Barker
How we do misquote sayings, or misunderstand them when quoted rightly!
The Rising of the Court
Henry Lawson
I sighed as an author, but obeyed as a pupil,—to misquote the words of Gibbon.
Rustic Sounds
Francis Darwin
He could not misquote or misapply the word, neither could he be indifferent about it.
Notes on the Book of Genesis
Charles Henry Mackintosh

British Dictionary definitions for misquote

misquote

verb

to quote (a text, speech, etc) inaccurately

Derived Formsmisquotation, noun

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

Word Origin and History for misquote

v.

1590s; see mis- (1) + quote (v.). First recorded in Shakespeare.

Looke how we can, or sad or merrily, Interpretation will misquote our lookes. ["I Hen. IV," v.ii.13]

Related: Misquoted; misquoting. As a noun from 1855.

misquote

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Examples from the Web for misquote

Contemporary Examples

But to misquote an old financial adage, the property market can remain irrational longer than you are prepared to remain homeless.

By terrifying coincidence, this was the one poem that Thatcher herself thought to recall and misquote when she first met Larkin.

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to misquote it, as the Spanish philosopher George Santayana did not say.

Historical Examples

Looking about this institution, one is moved to misquote Robert Browning.

The Socialist can quote Scripture for his purpose—and misquote it too.

How we do misquote sayings, or misunderstand them when quoted rightly!

I sighed as an author, but obeyed as a pupil,—to misquote the words of Gibbon.

He could not misquote or misapply the word, neither could he be indifferent about it.

misquote

Word Origin and History for misquote

v.

Origin of misquote