quotation mark

noun

1. one of the marks used to indicate the beginning and end of a quotation, in English usually shown as “ at the beginning and ” at the end, or, for a quotation within a quotation, of single marks of this kind, as “He said, ‘I will go.’ ” Frequently, especially in Great Britain, single marks are used instead of double, the latter being then used for a quotation within a quotation.

quotation mark

noun

1. either of the punctuation marks used to begin or end a quotation, respectively “ and ” or ‘ and ’ in English printing and writing. When double marks are used, single marks indicate a quotation within a quotation, and vice versa Also calledinverted comma

Word History and Origins

Origin of quotation mark¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

There is actually real ectoplasm, no quotation marks required, which is the outer layer of foraminifera, a class of single-celled organisms that live in the ocean and use their ectoplasm to catch food.

From Popular-Science

The word liberal is in quotation marks, and inflected, because it is liberal compared to the rest of the country.

From Washington Blade

I saw a pizza with a cauliflower “crust” and considered starting a movement to ban quotation marks from all foodstuff.

From Washington Post

Removed unnecessary closing quotation mark after: he might have the pre-eminence.

From Project Gutenberg

Added closing quotation mark after: sacrifices God is well pleased.

From Project Gutenberg

On p. 21 The redundant double quotation mark after "grandure" has been deleted.

From Project Gutenberg

It intentionally begins with an apostrophe, not an unmatched single quotation mark, and was left as originally printed.

From Project Gutenberg

In Chapter I, a quotation mark has been added after "for a rainy day."

From Project Gutenberg