quote

1 of 2

verb

quoted; quoting

transitive verb

1
a
: to speak or write (a passage) from another usually with credit acknowledgment
b
: to repeat a passage from especially in substantiation or illustration
c
: borrow sense 2a
quoting the motifs of past artists
2
: to cite in illustration
quote a similar case
3
a
: to state (the current price or bid-offer spread) for a commodity, stock, or bond
b
: to give exact information on
4
: to set off by quotation marks

intransitive verb

: to inform a hearer or reader that matter following is quoted
quoter noun

quote

2 of 2

noun

1
2
: quotation mark
often used orally to indicate the beginning of a direct quotation

Examples of quote in a Sentence

Verb He began his speech by quoting Shakespeare. The reporter quoted the police chief as saying that an investigation would be launched soon. He quotes the Bible frequently. Noun Each chapter of the book began with an inspirational quote. She included quotes from the poem in her essay. The article included quotes from the mayor and several councilors. The price quotes exceeded our expectations. I checked the stock quotes online. Titles of newspaper articles should be placed in quotes.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
The fact that memorization was a much bigger problem for the most popular books does suggest that Llama may have been trained on secondary sources that quote these books rather than the books themselves. ArsTechnica, 20 June 2025 Several political leaders have been quoted as to the president’s declining mental condition the last two years of his term. Robert Glatter, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
Noun
The Sun Sentinel published several quotes from President Trump regarding him sending the National Guard to Los Angeles against street protesters. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 June 2025 Johnson recited the quote, an old Muhammad Ali line about rising after a fall, word by word. Tony East, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for quote

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Medieval Latin quotare to mark the number of, number references, from Latin quotus of what number or quantity, from quot how many, (as) many as; akin to Latin qui who — more at who

First Known Use

Verb

1582, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1888, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of quote was in 1582

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Quote.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quote. Accessed 27 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

quote

1 of 2 verb
quoted; quoting
1
: to repeat (someone else's words) exactly
quote Shakespeare
2
: to give as an example
3
: to set off written material by quotation marks

quote

2 of 2 noun

More from Merriam-Webster on quote

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