quote

UK: /ˈkwəʊt/ US: /kwoʊt/ ,(kwōt)

Inflections of 'quote' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

quotes

v 3rd person singular

quoting

v pres p

quoted

v past

quoted

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

quote /kwoʊt/   v., quot•ed, quot•ing, n. 
v. 

1. to repeat (a passage, phrase, etc.) from a book, speech, or the like, word for word: [no object]
   In his book he quoted from speeches of Churchill.
   [~ + object]
   He quotes you extensively in his article.
2. to refer to or bring forward as evidence or support;
   cite:
   [~ + object] He quoted the law as the basis for the lawsuit.
3. to offer as a price or amount:
   [~ + object] The salesman quoted a low figure for the house.
4. [~ + object] to state the current or market price of (a stock, bond, etc.).
5. Oceanography (used in the root form to introduce the beginning of a quotation):
   He said, quote, "I robbed the store.''

n. [countable]

6. quotation.
7. quotation mark.

quot•a•ble, adj. See -quot-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

quote  (kwōt), v., quot•ed, quot•ing, n. 
v.t. 

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. Business [Com.]
   • to state (a price).
   • to state the current price of.

v.i. 
7. to make a quotation or quotations, as from a book or author.
8. Oceanography (used by a speaker to indicate the beginning of a quotation.)
9. Idioms quote unquote, so called;
   so to speak;
   as it were:
   If you're a liberal, quote unquote, they're suspicious of you.

n. 
10. a quotation.
11. See quotation mark. 
• Medieval Latin quotāre to divide into chapters and verses, derivative of Latin quot how many
• Old French coter)
• 1350–1400; 1880–85 for def. 10; Middle English coten, quoten (
quot′er, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

quote / kwəʊt/ verb

1. to recite a quotation (from a book, play, poem, etc), esp as a means of illustrating or supporting a statement
2. (transitive) to put quotation marks round (a word, phrase, etc)
3. to state (a current market price) of (a security or commodity)

noun

1. an informal word for quotation1, , ,
2. (often plural)
   an informal word for quotation mark

interjection

1. an expression used parenthetically to indicate that the words that follow it form a quotation

Etymology: 14th Century: from Medieval Latin quotāre to assign reference numbers to passages, from Latin quot how many