quote

American  

[kwoht] / kwoʊt /

verb (used with object)

• quotes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• quoted,
  past participle,  past
• quoting
  present participle

1. to repeat (a passage, phrase, etc.) from a book, speech, or the like, as by way of authority, illustration, etc.

2. to repeat words from (a book, author, etc.).

3. to use a brief excerpt from.

   The composer quotes Beethoven's Fifth in his latest work.

4. to cite, offer, or bring forward as evidence or support.

5. to enclose (words) within quotation marks.

6. Commerce.

   1. to state (a price).

   2. to state the current price of.

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verb (used without object)

• quotes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• quoted,
  past participle,  past
• quoting
  present participle

1. to make a quotation or quotations, as from a book or author.

2. (used by a speaker to indicate the beginning of aquotation. )

noun

• quotes
  plural

1. a quotation.

2. quotation mark.

idioms

1. quote unquote, so called; so to speak; as it were.

   If you're a liberal, quote unquote, they're suspicious of you.

quote British  

/ kwəʊt /

verb

1. to recite a quotation (from a book, play, poem, etc), esp as a means of illustrating or supporting a statement

2. (tr) to put quotation marks round (a word, phrase, etc)

3. stock exchange to state (a current market price) of (a security or commodity)

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noun

1. an informal word for quotation quotation quotation quotation

2. (often plural) an informal word for quotation mark

   put it in quotes

interjection

1. an expression used parenthetically to indicate that the words that follow it form a quotation

   the president said, quote, I shall not run for office in November, unquote

Usage

What is a basic definition of quote? Quote means to repeat the exact words of a speaker or an author. A quote is also a passage or statement repeated in this way. Quote means to cite something as a form of proof. Quote has several other senses as a verb and a noun. To quote something or someone is to repeat the exact words they said or to recite the exact words written in a book. Real-life examples: Great speakers often quote other inspiring people when making speeches. Newspapers will often quote the people they interviewed to show the reader they aren’t making things up or paraphrasing. Religious leaders will often quote the words written in a holy book when giving sermons. Used in a sentence: The speaker quoted poet John Donne when she said, “No man is an island.” In this sense, quote is a phrase, statement, or written passage that another person repeats exactly. Real-life examples: The news will report quotes of politicians, economists, scientists, and other important people. Many popular sayings and phrases are quotes. Used in a sentence: “A house divided against itself cannot stand” is a famous Abraham Lincoln quote. Quote also means to offer something as evidence or supporting facts. Real-life examples: Lawyers and judges will often quote earlier court cases when making arguments. Religious leaders or followers will frequently quote religious texts when explaining what is and isn’t acceptable behavior. Used in a sentence: The attorney quoted the earlier legal decision when she argued that the new law was unjust.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• quoter
  noun
• superquote
  verb
• outquote
  verb (used with object)
• prequote
  verb (used with object)
• requote
  verb (used with object)
• unquoted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• quotes
  plural

Participles

• quoting
  present
• quoted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• quote
  simple
• quotes
  simple
• have quoted
  perfect
• has quoted
  perfect
• am quoting
  progressive
• are quoting
  progressive
• is quoting
  progressive
• have been quoting
  perfect progressive
• has been quoting
  perfect progressive

Past

• quoted
  simple
• had quoted
  perfect
• was quoting
  progressive
• were quoting
  progressive
• had been quoting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will quote
  simple
• will have quoted
  perfect
• will be quoting
  progressive
• will have been quoting
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of quote

First recorded in 1350–1400; 1880–85 quote for def. 9; Middle English coten, quoten, from Old French coter, from Medieval Latin quotāre “to divide into chapters and verses,” derivative of Latin quot “how many”

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Explanation

If a journalist is interviewing you and you blurt out something inappropriate, you will have to ask her not to quote you on that. Sometimes the word quote is used as shorthand for quotation, a passage of speech or writing that’s repeated word for word. As a verb, to quote means to repeat someone’s words, attributing them to their originator. If you’re giving a speech on personal organization, you might want to quote Ben Franklin in it — he’s the master. When you write out a quote, you put the other person’s words in quotation marks (“Aha!”). Sometimes a price estimate is called a quote, like when a mechanic looks at your engine and gives you a quote for the cost of repair.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

quote quotes quoted quoting

The only thing that is, to quote Waititi, irrelevant, out of touch and obsolete is the arrogance in thinking anyone could know it all.

From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026

Raman has had the quote written on the chalkboard in her kitchen for about a decade.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

Can you match the midterm quote to the person who said it?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

They will tell you about a film that never existed, or a quote that was never said.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

He could quote lines from his favorite comedies, like Caddyshack, or poke fun at someone who was too pretentious or willfully ignorant.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Levingston quotes from the scene, “The Narrator looks back and says to Franklin, ‘Thank you, Brother’...’I want to say thank you for giving me this fugue.’

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

In proper context, those quotes are less bombastic than they might sound.

From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2026

The loan, the pipeline and the price your dealer quotes you are all bets on how long this war lasts.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

Two quotes from the chancellor and the prime minister get to the heart of this Budget.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026

I brought my fingers up to make the quotes around date.

From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King

The then-Pope quoted Dylan's hit Blowin' in the Wind in his sermon to the crowd.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

A North Korean official was quoted as saying the test was conducted "because our armed forces should defend the security of the country and deter all sorts of threats."

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026

The country's main employers' organisation, quoted by the Belga news agency, warned meanwhile of the dangers of a political crisis when "markets are paying increasingly close attention to Belgium."

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

Jose quoted an old song by The Who to sum up his feelings about the race.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

She quoted him in Spanish, then translated for Yoyo into English.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

The manosphere is "as bad as smoking", reports the Metro, quoting new research from the gender equality institute Global 50/50.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Eastern last Friday, its website was already quoting shipping dates out to January, suggesting Apple hasn’t made enough to meet initial demand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

Sosnoff is a bit more measured in his final assessment, quoting a participant as saying, “We haven’t buried the hatchet yet, but it’s been put away in the closet,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

They enjoy quoting Martin Luther King and claim to champion colorblind public policies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

They quote the police quoting the councilman as admitting to meeting her at the midtown club, drinking a little, agreeing to drive her home.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

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Related Words

• cite
• name
• recall
• refer to

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