quotation mark

American  

Sometimes quote 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.

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quotation mark British  

noun

1. Also called: inverted comma.  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

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Etymology

Origin of quotation mark

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Next, use quotation marks, the minus sign and the site operator, liberally.

From Washington Post

There is nothing in quotation marks about her teenage mannerisms, or embarrassing about seeing her, at 63, wear the spot-on embroidered jumpers and colorful hair clips Sarah Laux has costumed her in.

From New York Times

I use quotation marks around “the results” because, of course, one cannot spend hours watching election-night results.

From Los Angeles Times

Like James Joyce, Pinckney introduces speech with a dash instead of using quotation marks.

From Washington Post

The quotation mark patterns detected by researchers could be a sign of disrespect, used to communicate irony or sarcasm to future clinical readers.

From Salon