quotation marks

Cultural

Punctuation marks (“ ”) that set off dialogue, quoted material, titles of short works, and definitions. When something must be quoted inside a quotation, single quotation marks are used: “‘Religion,’ according to Karl Marx (see also Marx), ‘is the opiate of the masses.’”

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.

At least one copy included peculiar quotation marks in the opening paragraphs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 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

Technically, this is not “Wuthering Heights,” but “Wuthering Heights” in the self-referential quotation marks on the poster, an acknowledgment that Fennell has plunged her fingers into the plot and manipulated it to her whims.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2026

At the same time, academic conventions require that scholars attribute others’ ideas or prose via citation or quotation marks.

From Slate • Jan. 19, 2024

Her fingers sketched quotation marks around the name, and her tone dripped sarcasm.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023