misquote
Americanverb (used with or without object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has misquotedperfect 3rd person singular
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have misquotedperfect
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have been misquotingperfect progressive
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misquotessingular 3rd person
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are misquotingprogressive
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is misquotingprogressive 3rd person singular
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has been misquotingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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misquotingparticiple
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am misquotingprogressive 1st person singular
Past
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had misquotedperfect
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were misquotingprogressive plural
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was misquotingprogressive singular
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misquotedsimple
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had been misquotingperfect progressive
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misquotedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of misquote
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."
Vocabulary lists containing misquote
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.
And his personality - as he became known as 'the Special One' following a slight misquote from his opening Chelsea news conference - shook up the Premier League.
From BBC • May 23, 2024
And, to misquote a well-known Monty Python line, “no one ever expects a pandemic.”
From Seattle Times • Feb. 16, 2024
To misquote Faulkner only slightly, the past, in America, is never really past.
From Salon • Nov. 26, 2023
“This is a misquote that disproves itself by propagating through the internet as Cunningham’s Law.”
From Slate • Feb. 3, 2023
Danny caught his father in a misquote, ran to get a Talmud from a shelf, and triumphantly showed his father where he had been wrong.
From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok
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.
