Meaning & use
quote
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To repeat words that someone else said or wrote, keeping them exactly as they were.
Grammar: Takes an object (quote a poem) or stands alone with from: she quoted from the letter.
Patterns
- quote something
- quote someone as saying something
- quote from something
The journalist quoted the mayor in her article.
Can you quote the opening line of the poem?
He often quotes from old movies.
verbtransitivebusiness
To tell a customer what price you would charge for a job or product.
Grammar: Often takes two objects: the builder quoted us five thousand dollars.
Patterns
- quote someone a price
- quote a price for something
The garage quoted me two hundred dollars for the repair.
Please quote a price for delivery to Canada.
The agency quoted a lower fee than its rival.
nouncountableinformal
A phrase or passage taken from what someone else said or wrote.
Grammar: Short for quotation and used informally: a quote from the speech.
Patterns
- a quote from someone
- a quote about something
Her essay opens with a quote from Mark Twain.
I love that quote about patience.
The editor cut the quote because it was too long.
nouncountablebusiness
A statement of what a job or product will cost.
Grammar: Usually a quote for something: a quote for the roof repair.
Patterns
- a quote for something
- get a quote
We got three quotes before hiring a plumber.
The insurance quote was cheaper online.
Send me a written quote by Friday.
Word forms
| third person singular | quotes |
|---|---|
| past tense | quoted |
| past participle | quoted |
| -ing form | quoting |
| plural | quotes |
Common combinations
- quote a source
- Always quote your source when using someone's research.
- quote a price
- The shop quoted a price of ten dollars.
- get a quote
- Get a quote before you sign anything.
- direct quote
- The article included a direct quote from the witness.
- quote unquote
- He was, quote unquote, an expert.
- misquote someone
- The paper misquoted her remarks.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cite
- Cite is more formal and means to name a source as evidence, not necessarily to repeat its exact words.
- repeat
- Repeat is general and can be said of any words, while quote implies giving someone else's words faithfully.
- estimate
- An estimate is a rough guess of a cost, whereas a quote is a stated price you can usually rely on.
- excerpt
- An excerpt is a longer extract from a text, while a quote is often a single short line.
Word family
Commonly confused: quote or quota?
quote vs quota
A quota is a fixed amount or limit allowed, while a quote is repeated words or a price estimate.
Practice
The contractor gave us a ______ of $4,000 to repaint the house.
Choose one answer.
A quote is a stated price for a job. Quota means a fixed allowance, and it is the tempting look-alike.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “quote”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.