unquote

American  

[uhn-kwoht, uhn-kwoht] / ʌnˈkwoʊt, ˈʌnˌkwoʊt /

verb (used without object)

unquoted, unquoting

1. to close a quotation (often used with the word quote, which notes the opening of the quotation).

   The senator said, quote, I am unalterably opposed to this policy, unquote.

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unquote British  

/ ʌnˈkwəʊt /

interjection

1. an expression used parenthetically to indicate that the preceding quotation is finished

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verb

1. to close (a quotation), esp in printing

Etymology

Origin of unquote

First recorded in 1910–15; un- ² + quote

Example Sentences

“This is the first time, even by his own words, that it has been a quote, unquote, blowout.”

From MarketWatch • Dec. 31, 2025

So far, the scientists aren’t sure precisely which part of the rumble might be the elephant’s, quote unquote, “name.”

From New York Times • Jun. 14, 2024

Nora Mathison: The 1850 Fugitive Slave Act allowed federal marshals to track down and capture people who had escaped to quote unquote “free” northern states from slave holding southern states and return them to bondage.

From Scientific American • Sep. 28, 2023

"Actually often people are doing this on an individual level for quote unquote security lighting. You actually make the shadows darker and make people within them essentially invisible."

From Salon • Jul. 22, 2023

“It’s not about whether they’re hopeful. It’s about the gross implausibility of a midnight train going, quote unquote, anywhere.”

From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli