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

In her modest office, a poster bears a famous quote from legendary Soviet rock group Kino: "Our hearts demand changes."

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

I quote Mr. Jenkins’s Sept. 12 column only because I happened to read it that day and because his cold and lordly tone captures the European chattering classes’ response to the event.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

The antagonist role gave rise to his signature catchphrase, “I pity the fool!” a quote that has become synonymous with the actor himself.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

My last quote is a humblebrag for sure, from an email in 2012 where I hyped up the Wild Flag album to him, and he replied:

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

“I think I finally get the quote by the philosopher David Hume. The one about the oyster. Remember that one, Benji?”

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty

When Sen. Alan Simpson quotes from “Othello” in defense of Thomas, he uses Shakespeare’s lyrical authority but fails to realize that he is in fact invoking the false words of the tragedy’s villain, Iago.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

Quotes attributed to Tilak Mandadi were spoken by Sri Narasimhan, and quotes attributed to Narasimhan were spoken by Mandadi.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

This balance is illustrated well in Carrick's quotes about how he first managed 21-year-old midfielder Kobbie Mainoo.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

Mortgage borrowers with low credit scores, low down-payment amounts or “unique” personal situations are seeing quotes over 7%, Jason Madiedo, co-CEO of SimplyPMG, a mortgage lender, told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026

This is our little game—one of us quotes a line of a poem, and the other quotes a line in response.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed

“The heat is on,” Sher said presciently, as quoted by the Sacramento Bee on May 5, 1989.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

Noonan quoted a friend as saying, “I think it’s creepy, in a Nazi-resonating way, any time this sort of home-and-hearth language is used by people who are essentially police.”

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026

During an interview with a Wall Street Journal reporter in 1980, he quoted from a book on Zen Buddhism and paced around his office, squeezing a wrist exerciser.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

"We need to protect artistic freedom all across the world," the organisers quoted him as saying.

From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026

Later, a writer quoted her saying, “My husband is a good man, a kind man. He wouldn’t have done anything like that. And he wouldn’t hurt anyone else, and he wouldn’t ever hurt me.”

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

Whatever: This is what appeared in the Feb. 20, 1985 edition of the Oakland Tribune, quoting a UC Berkeley professor about a protest against immigration sweeps in the Bay Area.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

As he liked to say, quoting Lord John Boyd Orr, “You can’t build peace on empty stomachs.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

"Look at my husband, nothing stopped him" is the Sun's headline, quoting the Queen who praised her husband's courage while coping with his diagnosis.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

According to Politico, which broke the story quoting anonymous sources, the British leader sent a "few messages" via an unspecified communication channel to a person he believed to be Wiles before becoming suspicious.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

“The brain is just another organ,” Kaz said, quoting Van Eck.

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

Related Words

• cite
• name
• recall
• refer to