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

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”

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

She uploaded the quote into ChatGPT, which told her it was likely inflated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

On the MarketWatch quote page, there are many tabs with additional information, including the Analyst Estimates tab, which provides a deeper breakdown of estimates and targets.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026

“Patti has that great quote, ‘Progress isn’t the future, it’s keeping up with the present,’ and my present is unfolding at actually quite an unexpectedly rapid rate, so today, I’m just gonna ride that pony.”

From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026

He didn’t actually get that quote directly from Lasorda.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

“What was that quote from the girl from the White Rose?”

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed

I put “runs out of money” in quotes, because that is how many in the popular press are describing what may happen six years from now.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

A coalition of 17 states sued the producers, alleging they secretly coordinated to influence daily egg price quotes published by a benchmark pricing service widely used in egg supply contracts.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

It quotes Burnham as saying he was responding to public "anger, anxiety and distress" at the proposals.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Single, divorced and widowed drivers got quotes in April 2025 that were up to $108 higher for six months of premiums from four out of five California carriers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

I made air quotes when I said the word “movie.”

From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks

Most tellingly, the court twice quoted the very language ADF has cherry-picked from Virginia and reiterates throughout its campaign to transform sex-equality law: that “physical differences between men and women” are “enduring.”

From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026

It hadn’t, although that 2023 decision, written by Chief Justice Roberts, approvingly quoted Harlan’s Plessy dissent, and Justice Thomas filed a solo concurrence “to offer an originalist defense of the colorblind Constitution.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

"This court must give a clear message to society that when a girl says no, it means no. A no means a no," Livelaw quoted him as saying.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Instead, every decision is quoted based on specific guidelines spelled out in the preservation plan, which was drafted and approved by Sunset Square residents.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

He turned even redder, like he was surprised I’d quoted him word for word.

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon

“Markets stop panicking when policymakers stop panicking,” Lee said, quoting billionaire hedge-fund manager David Tepper.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

As a professor of classics at the University of Pennsylvania, she’ll be on the front line of academics condemned to unteach Nolan’s heavily altered screenplay to students who will arrive quoting it chapter and verse.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

"Don't outshine your master," Merezhko says, quoting from Robert Greene's 1998 self-help book, The 48 Laws of Power.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

As Justice Ginsburg wrote in Virginia, quoting an earlier case: “Physical differences between men and women . . . are enduring: ‘The two sexes are not fungible.’

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

“Arise! Go forth! Walk!” shouted Titid on the radio, quoting Scripture again.

From "Taste of Salt: A Story of Modern Haiti" by Frances Temple

Related Words

• cite
• name
• recall
• refer to