quote

play

verb \ ˈkwōt also ˈkōt \

Updated on: 26 Jul 2017

Definition of quote

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 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

See quote defined for English-language learners

See quote defined for kids

Examples of quote in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of quote from the Web

However, those tensions may be easing as well, as Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency quoted Mr. Zarif as saying visas for both Iranian and Saudi diplomats to visit their respective embassies and consulates had been issued.

— jon gambrell, The Christian Science Monitor, "Qatar restores diplomatic relations with Iran, countering Arab demands," 25 Aug. 2017
Another tabloid Ekstra Bladet, quoting unnamed sources, said Madsen has asked to be transferred to solitary confinement, allegedly out of fear of being attacked inside the prison.

— jan m. olsen, The Seattle Times, "Danish police search for dead Swedish journalist’s clothes," 24 Aug. 2017
The Journal quoted current and former investors who cited concerns about Gundlach’s provocative personality.

— alan goldstein, Bloomberg.com, "Investors Pulling Back From Gundlach's Biggest Fund, WSJ Says," 20 Aug. 2017
Which is exactly what Nina Shaw did (quoting Chisholm along the way).

— julia herbst, Los Angeles Magazine, "11 Women Who Are Making L.A. a Better Place," 17 Aug. 2017
No. To quote Royals general manager Dayton Moore: My crystal ball is broken.

— andy mccullough, latimes.com, "Dodgers mailbag: Should Cody Bellinger win National League MVP?," 14 Aug. 2017
In an effort to protect our students, quotes that could potentially offend another student or groups of students are not published.

— marissa miller, Teen Vogue, "Gay Students’ Yearbook Quotes Removed by School District," 14 Aug. 2017
Bagli quoted Donald Trump as saying about Sater’s criminal past.

— craig unger, The Hive, "Why Robert Mueller Has Trump SoHo in His Sights," 13 Aug. 2017
To quote Hilary Duff, this is what dreams are made of.

— chloe metzger, Marie Claire, "These 5 Cult-Favorite Makeup Palettes Are 50% Off at Sephora Right *Now*," 10 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'quote.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of quote

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

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First Known Use: 1582

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quote Synonyms

Synonyms

adduce, cite, instance, mention

Related Words

exemplify, represent; advert (to), illustrate, instance, name, refer (to), specify, touch (on or upon); bear out, corroborate, document, substantiate, validate; reference, source

Near Antonyms

disregard, forget, ignore, neglect, overlook, overpass, pass over, slight

quote

noun

Definition of quote

1 :quotation

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

See quote defined for English-language learners

Examples of quote in a Sentence

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 of quote from the Web

Again, there was a personal story — even a quote — about how much people would benefit from tax cuts.

— david weigel, Washington Post, "On taxes, George W. Bush sounded more populist than Trump," 30 Aug. 2017
Perhaps no one is trying harder than Anthony Scaramucci, the former White House communications director who was canned ten days into his tenure after The New Yorker published some truly bonkers quotes of his.

— emilia petrarca, The Cut, "How to Salvage Your Garbage Personal Brand in 30 Days Like Anthony Scaramucci," 30 Aug. 2017
Each one is largely readable, if awkward, and chock full of nonsensically dramatic quotes and descriptions.

— ben panko, Smithsonian, "A Neural Network Attempted to Write the Next Game of Thrones Book," 30 Aug. 2017
There was a line of reporters waiting outside his room, all of us there to get quotes from the then 69-year-old star about his upcoming role as Applegate in the Broadway revival of Damn Yankees.

— nancy jo sales, vanityfair.com, "Hey, Lady! My Private Audience with Jerry Lewis," 21 Aug. 2017
Their sentiment echoes Barack Obama's tweet from this past Saturday featuring a quote by Nelson Mandela, and a photo of the former president looking through a window at children of several different races.

— caroline hallemann, Town & Country, "Both Bush Presidents Release a Statement Condemning the Violence in Charlottesville," 16 Aug. 2017
Here are the six most unbelievable quotes from the president's unhinged, racist and rage-filled address.

— christina coleman, Essence.com, "Donald Trump Outright Defended Nazis, White Supremacists And Slaveowners In Bizarre Press Conference," 15 Aug. 2017
The original Fox News story relied heavily on quotes from an unnamed F.B.I. official and Wheeler, the latter of whom claims that Fox News producer Malia Zimmerman fabricated two statements and wrongly attributed them to him.

— abigail tracy, The Hive, "White House Pushed Fox News to Publish Seth Rich Story, Lawsuit Claims," 1 Aug. 2017
UPDATES: 5:33 p.m.: This article was updated with a quote from a company spokesperson.

— andy nguyen, Glendale News-Press, "Glendale attorney represents man suing Nordstrom-owned company," 13 July 2017

First Known Use of quote

1888

quote Synonyms

Synonyms

citation, quotation

Related Words

allusion, reference; excerpt, extract; line, part, section; snippet

Financial Definition of QUOTE

quote

noun

What It Is

A quote is an estimate of price or a price at which one party is willing to buy or sell from the other. In the trading markets, a quote is the bid and ask price for a security.

How It Works

For example, a quote for Company XYZ stock includes the real-time bid price, ask price, quote size, price of the last trade, size of the last trade, the high price for the day, and the low price for the day. Quotes are available from the exchanges online, via the media or in financial publications.

Why It Matters

Quotes are necessary to inform investors about the prices of securities. The information contained in a quote is sometimes limited; for example, it may not disclose which market makers are bidding for or offering the security, whether there are limit orders on the security, or the size of potential trades at a particular price. In other words, quotes do not give the viewer access to the "order book" showing who has an interest in a security and at what price. But quotes do give traders and investors a basic idea of how a security is doing.

Source: Investing Answers

QUOTE Defined for English Language Learners

quote

play

verb

Definition of quote for English Language Learners

: to repeat (something written or said by another person) exactly
: to write or say the exact words of (someone)
: to write or say a line or short section from (a piece of writing or a speech)

QUOTE Defined for Kids

quote

play

verb \ ˈkwōt \

Definition of quote for Students

quoted; quoting

:to repeat (someone else's words) exactly

I quoted my favorite poem.

History for quote

Sometimes passages in books are numbered. The English word quote came from a medieval Latin word quotare that meant “to refer to a passage by number.” English quote means “to repeat the words of a passage exactly.” The idea of number has been lost.

quote

noun

Definition of quote for Students

:quotation

Learn More about quote

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quote

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quote Synonyms

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QUOTE Defined for English Language Learners

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