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

Typically, “the Court’s cases neither name nor quote the disfranchised, erasing their voices from law’s past.”

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

It’s expected that California insurers probably would collect the data over six months and use them to quote premiums for the next six-month period.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

"Sometimes it's very hard to take an inquiry on the phone. You're doing a quote on the windows and you just really can't communicate."

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

She encourages members of her team to become "calculated risk-takers," and keeps a Wayne Gretzky quote in her office: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026

Immediately, before she could stop it, that famous Emily Bronte quote popped into her head: ‘‘Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

And since it never quotes the book directly, it sidesteps a lot of copyright headaches.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

Representatives for Factor and Thistle said they had no record of providing any quotes to A Step to Freedom.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

The Daily Express quotes Falklands veteran Simon Weston who describes the Argentina banner as "childish and petulant".

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

Gailey of Bankrate recommends getting at least three quotes from different lenders on the same day so you can make an apples-to-apples comparison.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

“This is how I gather my quotes for an essay.”

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely

Kent, who spent the final four seasons of his 17-year career with the Dodgers, quoted the late Tommy Lasorda in his speech.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

It came off the highest levels of the day as a spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry was quoted as saying negotiations with the U.S. could be pursued “based on national interests.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

"I am sorry about that. The response has too often not been good enough. We need to do better," the paper quoted him as saying earlier this month.

From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026

It has recommended new regulations over how prices are quoted and cancellations are handled as well as "better support for vulnerable consumers".

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

Adah closed her eyes and thought for a second and then quoted the whole thing out: ‘“The King of Kings aroused the anger of Antiochus against the rascal.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

"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

The story also referenced a story in El Nuevo Día, the largest circulating newspaper in Puerto Rico, quoting Díaz.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026

They cite a media report quoting a U.S. official as saying that American military support has helped boost oil flows to more than 10 million barrels a day.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

Just before his death was confirmed, the Fars news agency issued a statement quoting Naini as saying Iran's missile production deserved a "perfect score" and was continuing despite the war.

From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026

Henry was pointing at the neglected arches and, even at that distance, I could tell he was quoting from the rule book; faintly, we could hear Bunny’s startled cries of protest.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Related Words

• cite
• name
• recall
• refer to