quotation
noun
quo·ta·tion
kwō-ˈtā-shən 
also kō-
1
: something that is quoted
especially
: a passage referred to, repeated, or adduced
2
a
: the act or process of quoting
b(1)
: the naming or publishing of current bids and offers or prices of securities or commodities
(2)
: the bids, offers, or prices so named or published
especially
: the highest bid and lowest offer for a particular security in a given market at a given time
Examples of quotation in a Sentence
He gathered quotations from the trial transcript to prove his point.
a well-known quotation attributed to Abraham Lincoln
a book of humorous quotations
She relied heavily on quotation in her essays, which made them less original.
Recent Examples on the Web
The quotations function as a kind of net, drawing readers into the force field of the book’s argument with an implicit suggestion: Perhaps this has happened to you.
—
Leslie Jamison, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
So there’s all the quotations, relying on other people’s words to articulate your thoughts and feelings.
—David Marchese Photograph By Mamadi Doumbouya, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024
Each chapter of The New Leviathans begins with a quotation from Leviathan, Hobbes’s major treatise on state power, as if to provide the reader with a kernel of truth and an ominous warning about what is to come.
—Helena Rosenblatt, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
Architectural settings and landscapes serve as quotations from Old Master paintings by Antonello da Messina, Caspar David Friedrich and Ludovico Mazzolino.
—Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024
Printing short quotations from books or displaying thumbnails of photographs in search results are considered fair use, for example, as are parodies that use a story’s plot and characters.
—Alex Reisner, The Atlantic, 29 Feb. 2024
The first essay was only 600 words and included just two direct quotations from the book.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024
Putin conducts himself as a human quotation from the past, a restorer of Russia's age-old verities.
—Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2024
One board member suggested ending with something uplifting, like Anne Frank’s famous quotation.
—Clay Risen, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2024
Leslie Jamison, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
So there’s all the quotations, relying on other people’s words to articulate your thoughts and feelings.
—David Marchese Photograph By Mamadi Doumbouya, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024
Each chapter of The New Leviathans begins with a quotation from Leviathan, Hobbes’s major treatise on state power, as if to provide the reader with a kernel of truth and an ominous warning about what is to come.
—Helena Rosenblatt, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
Architectural settings and landscapes serve as quotations from Old Master paintings by Antonello da Messina, Caspar David Friedrich and Ludovico Mazzolino.
—Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024
Printing short quotations from books or displaying thumbnails of photographs in search results are considered fair use, for example, as are parodies that use a story’s plot and characters.
—Alex Reisner, The Atlantic, 29 Feb. 2024
The first essay was only 600 words and included just two direct quotations from the book.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024
Putin conducts himself as a human quotation from the past, a restorer of Russia's age-old verities.
—Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2024
One board member suggested ending with something uplifting, like Anne Frank’s famous quotation.
—Clay Risen, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quotation.' 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
1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing quotation
Dictionary Entries Near quotation
Cite this Entry
“Quotation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quotation. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
quotation
noun
quo·ta·tion
kwō-ˈtā-shən
1
: the act or process of quoting
2
: the prices currently bid or offered for stocks, bonds, or goods
3
: something that is quoted
More from Merriam-Webster on quotation
Nglish: Translation of quotation for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of quotation for Arabic Speakers
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