quotation mark

noun

: one of a pair of punctuation marks " " or ' ' used chiefly to indicate the beginning and the end of a quotation in which the exact phraseology of another or of a text is directly cited

Examples of quotation mark in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The other possibility is that the five tracks start with T, S, L, and !, respectively, and the quotation marks are just there for funsies. Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 19 Sep. 2023 McCarthy is noted for his style, which employs deceivingly simple, declarative sentences, sparse punctuation, and dialogue free of quotation marks and often missing attribution. Barbara Vandenburgh, USA TODAY, 13 June 2023 Our new advanced text search features allow users to search for multiple terms simultaneously by separating terms using AND or OR or to search for exact phrases by putting terms in quotation marks. Ruth Talbot, ProPublica, 18 July 2023 Conventions – Americans put commas and periods inside quotation marks; British writers put them outside. John McIntyre, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 June 2023 He was known for a unique style that used deceivingly, simple declarative sentences, sparse punctuation, and dialogue without quotation marks. Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 14 June 2023 McCarthy had a strong aversion to punctuation, and often stripped his books of quotation marks, commas and hyphens. Steve Marble, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2023 Further Reading The time has come: GitHub expands 2FA requirement rollout March 13 GitHub published a guide to syntax, including but not limited to the usual stuff like leveraging boolean operations in queries or performing an exact search with quotation marks. Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, 8 May 2023 To avoid troublesome skepticism from colleagues, the investigators made sure to place the topics of their research in quotation marks; the prevailing behaviorist atmosphere made mention of animal emotions an anathema. Frans B. M. De Waal, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2015 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quotation mark.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1859, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of quotation mark was circa 1859

Dictionary Entries Near quotation mark

Cite this Entry

“Quotation mark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quotation%20mark. Accessed 30 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

quotation mark

noun
: one of a pair of punctuation marks " " or ' ' used chiefly to indicate the beginning and the end of a direct quotation

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