Top Definitions
Quiz
Related Content
More About Quote
Examples
British

quote

[ kwoht ]

/ kwoʊt /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: quote / quoted / quotes / quoting on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), quot·ed, quot·ing.

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

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

to use a brief excerpt from: The composer quotes Beethoven's Fifth in his latest work.

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

to enclose (words) within quotation marks.

Commerce.

to state (a price).
to state the current price of.

verb (used without object), quot·ed, quot·ing.

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

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

noun

quotation mark.

VIDEO FOR QUOTE

Can You Guess Which Books These Literary Quotes Are From?

Who loves writing? Who loves reading? Yup, us too! Let's test your knowledge of some of literature's most famous lines. Ready?

MORE VIDEOS FROM DICTIONARY.COM

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about quote

quote unquote, so called; so to speak; as it were: If you're a liberal, quote unquote, they're suspicious of you.

Origin of quote

1350–1400; 1880–85 for def. 9; Middle English coten, quoten (<Old French coter) <Medieval Latin quotāre to divide into chapters and verses, derivative of Latin quot how many

OTHER WORDS FROM quote

quoter, nounoutquote, verb (used with object), out·quot·ed, out·quot·ing.pre·quote, verb (used with object), pre·quot·ed, pre·quot·ing.re·quote, verb (used with object), re·quot·ed, re·quot·ing.

su·per·quote, verb, su·per·quot·ed, su·per·quot·ing, nounun·quot·ed, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH quote

quotation, quote

Words nearby quote

quota sampling, quota system, quotation, quotation mark, quotation marks, quote, quoted company, quote-driven, quote-unquote, quoteworthy, quoth

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT QUOTE

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.

Where does quote come from?

The first records of quote come from around 1350. It ultimately comes from the classical Latin quot, meaning “how many.”

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to quote?

quoter (noun)
outquote (verb)
prequote (verb)
requote (verb)
superquote (verb)
unquote (verb)

What are some synonyms for quote?

What are some words that share a root or word element with quote?

What are some words that often get used in discussing quote?

How is quote used in real life?

Quote is a common word that means someone is repeating what someone else said.

Today I quoted Elizabeth Bishop in my advice column:
"Time to plant tears, says the almanac."
Seems fitting right now.

— Amy Dickinson, English Major (@AskingAmy) November 18, 2020

Who wants an inspiring quote on a Monday morning?

Ronaldo: “Your love makes me stronger, your hate makes me unstoppable.”

— Liam Canning (@LiamPaulCanning) August 24, 2015

In an odd moment, Ford's lawyer quoted the french version of the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act to make argument about clarity of law

— Jackson Proskow (@JProskowGlobal) January 7, 2013

Try using quote!

True or False?

To quote something means to paraphrase it and give a short summary of its meaning.

How to use quote in a sentence

When you first set up Halo, it asks you to read a few quotes from classic literature.
Amazon’s new fitness tracker listens to your voice to figure out your mood|Stan Horaczek|September 2, 2020|Popular-Science
Below you’ll find key takeaways, quotes and stats, as well as videos from our recent Future of Work event, presenter slides from DailyPay and more.
Deep Dive: How companies and their employees are facing the future of work|Digiday|September 1, 2020|Digiday
For example, let’s say the first time you shared the article you included a quote from the piece in the social copy.
Five content promotion strategies SaaS marketers should implement today|Izabelle Hundrev|August 28, 2020|Search Engine Watch
This post has also been updated to correct a word in a quote from Nathan Fletcher that was mis-transcribed.
Supervisor by Day, But a COVID-19 Skeptic on the Airwaves|Katy Stegall|August 20, 2020|Voice of San Diego

There’s no value that is sustained from that one-off experience apart from a nice quote, there’s no new framework or structure to advance people professionally.
‘You have to innovate on the value’: The disparate state of virtual event ticketing|Lucinda Southern|August 7, 2020|Digiday
Tend to your own garden, to quote the great sage of free speech, Voltaire, and invite people to follow your example.
How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech|Nick Gillespie|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
That quote has been misattributed to him since it first appeared in 1881, when Ben would have been 175 years old.
Forget the Resolutions; Try a Few Declarations|Kevin Bleyer|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The quote appears on the bronze plaque the players touch before they take the field for home games.
A West Point MVP Who Never Played a Down|Nicolaus Mills|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The quote is apocryphal, but that has not changed its significance for Army football players.
A West Point MVP Who Never Played a Down|Nicolaus Mills|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Telling employees to stick to authorized legal boundaries is a good thing,” he said Wednesday when asked about the quote.
CIA Interrogation Chief: ‘Rectal Feeding,’ Broken Limbs Are News to Me|Kimberly Dozier|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The lack of bill buyers in foreign countries who will quote as low rates on dollar as on sterling bills.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
I shall therefore, in my effort to prove the Bible fallible, quote almost wholly from Christian critics.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
To quote Mrs. Kaye, 'A Liberal peer is as useful as a fifth wheel to a coach, and as ornamental as whitewash.'
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
Wolff has illustrated this point by a series of experiments on the sunflower, of which we shall quote one.
Elements of Agricultural Chemistry|Thomas Anderson
However and whatever (to quote Amy again), the intentions were that brought the crowd, the Norwood place was comfortably filled.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn|Margaret Penrose

British Dictionary definitions for quote

quote

/ (kwəʊt) /

verb

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

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

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

noun

an informal word for quotation (def. 1), quotation (def. 2), quotation (def. 3), quotation (def. 4)

(often plural) an informal word for quotation mark put it in quotes

interjection

an expression used parenthetically to indicate that the words that follow it form a quotationthe president said, quote, I shall not run for office in November, unquote

Word Origin for quote

C14: from Medieval Latin quotāre to assign reference numbers to passages, from Latin quot how many

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012