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Meaning & use

quotables

noun, adjective·Advanced

Last updated

UK/ˈkwəʊ.tə.bəlz/
US/ˈkwoʊ.t̬ə.bəlz/

“quotables” is a form of “quotable”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.

Meanings

  1. nounplural

    Short, memorable lines from speeches, films, or books that people like to repeat.

    Grammar: Used as a plural noun with no singular in this sense; take a plural verb: the quotables are listed.

    Patterns

    • a list of quotables
    • the quotables from something
    • collect quotables

    The magazine printed the year's best quotables from award speeches.

    Her blog collects quotables from old movies and TV shows.

    Teachers often put famous quotables on the classroom wall.

  2. adjectivecomparablerare

    Worth quoting because it is well said or memorable.

    Grammar: This is the plural-looking form only in the noun sense; as an adjective the base form 'quotable' is used, and 'quotables' is not standard.

    Patterns

    • a quotable line
    • highly quotable

    The interview was full of quotable remarks.

    Only a few sentences in the report were really quotable.

Word forms

singular (adjective base)quotable

Common combinations

a collection of quotables
The book is a collection of quotables from famous court cases.
famous quotables
Fans trade famous quotables from the series online.
the best quotables
The year-end show counted down the best quotables of the season.
quotables from a speech
Students picked quotables from the speech for their essays.

Synonyms and how they differ

quotes
More common and general; 'quotes' can be any repeated words, while 'quotables' stresses that the lines are clever or memorable.
sound bites
Refers especially to short remarks by politicians or public figures in the media, not to lines from films or books.

Word family

quote verb
To repeat someone's exact words.
quotation noun
A group of words taken from a text or speech.
quotable adjective
Worth repeating because it is well expressed.

Commonly confused: quotables or quotes? quotables or quotations?

quotables vs quotes

'Quotes' means any repeated words and is far more common; 'quotables' is a playful, informal noun for lines considered especially memorable.

quotables vs quotations

A formal word for passages copied from a source, often with a citation; 'quotables' suggests entertainment value rather than accuracy.

Practice

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