quotation

American  

[kwoh-tey-shuhn] / kwoʊˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

quotations plural

1. something that is quoted; a passage quoted from a book, speech, etc..

   a speech full of quotations from Lincoln's letters.

   Synonyms:

   selection, citation, extract

2. the act or practice of quoting.

3. Commerce.

   1. the statement of the current or market price of a commodity or security.

   2. the price so stated.

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quotation British  

/ kwəʊˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. a phrase or passage from a book, poem, play, etc, remembered and spoken, esp to illustrate succinctly or support a point or an argument

2. the act or habit of quoting from books, plays, poems, etc

3. commerce a statement of the current market price of a security or commodity

4. an estimate of costs submitted by a contractor to a prospective client; tender

5. stock exchange registration granted to a company or governmental body, enabling the shares and other securities of the company or body to be officially listed and traded

6. printing a large block of type metal that is less than type-high and is used to fill up spaces in type pages

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prequotation
  noun
• self-quotation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• quotations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of quotation

1525–35; 1810–15 quotation for def. 3; < Medieval Latin quotātiōn- (stem of quotātiō ), equivalent to quotāt ( us ) (past participle of quotāre; see quote) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

A quotation is the exact words of someone else. When you like what someone said, put their quotation in your writing. Quotations are a big part of writing. People use quotations when something is well-said. A quotation from someone famous or smart can help make your own point sound better. When you use a quotation, always remember to put it in quotation marks and give proper credit. Also, don't change any of the words: a quotation should be exactly what the person said or wrote.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

quotation quotations

Younger parents who grew up in the digital age have done their research — “research” in quotation marks — for months.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

The quotation is from an address Mr. Meese delivered to the American Bar Association on July 9, 1985, a few months after he took office as Ronald Reagan’s attorney general.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

Bucket shop patrons were positioned heavily for Amalgamated to rise, so the proprietors shorted the stock “to establish as low a quotation as possible,” the Journal wrote.

From Barron's ● Apr. 7, 2026

Eagle-eyed viewers noticed that, in the film’s poster and its trailers, the title was bookended by quotation marks.

From Salon ● Feb. 14, 2026

In most cases, a question mark should be inside the quotation marks.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

Gathering together some of the anthology’s pithiest and most striking quotations, Mr. Romm’s book is an intriguing and occasionally frustrating aperitif that doesn’t fully satisfy but is nonetheless stimulating.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026

A pair of Orange County immigration attorneys received temporary suspensions after the court discovered they used generative AI to write briefs that included “multiple nonexistent cases, misattributed quotations, and gross misrepresentations.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026

The latest incident was reported by the Supreme Court of Alabama last Friday, where an attorney submitted two briefs with eight AI-fabricated cases and quotations.

From Barron's ● Apr. 29, 2026

Glover has said he will take with him a Bible, his wedding rings and family heirlooms, along with a collection of inspirational quotations compiled by Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart.

From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2026

I file the receipts away and sort the quotations from least expensive to most, and turn to the stack of bills.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Related Words

• excerpt
• passage
• quote
• reference