# quotation

/kwoʊˈteɪʃən/ (US) · /kwəʊtˈeɪʃən/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/quotation
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. repeated words

noun · CEFR B1

a sentence or phrase that you repeat from a book, poem, or speech because it is interesting.

For teachers: a fragment of human expression repeated by someone other than the original author, typically from a literary or historical source.

- The teacher asked us to find a famous quotation about friendship for our essay.
- The speaker opened her keynote address with a poignant quotation from a nineteenth-century philosopher to illustrate the timeless nature of the problem.

Usage: Often used with the preposition 'from' to indicate the source.

### 2. price estimate

noun · CEFR B2

a formal statement of how much a piece of work or a service will cost.

For teachers: a formal statement setting out the estimated cost for a particular job or service.

- We asked three different builders for a quotation before we started the kitchen repairs.
- The contractor provided a detailed quotation that itemised the costs for both raw materials and skilled labour over the six-month project.

Usage: In business contexts, often shortened to 'quote'.

### 3. the act of quoting

noun · CEFR C1 · Academic

the act of repeating what someone else has said or written.

For teachers: the action or practice of citing a source or repeating a passage.

- The frequent quotation of old laws made the lawyer's speech very long.
- The author's excessive quotation of secondary sources tended to obscure his own original contributions to the field of sociology.

Usage: Uncountable in this sense.

## Examples

- The article begins with a famous quotation from the president.
- The contractor provided a detailed quotation for the kitchen renovation, including the cost of materials and labor.
- Scholars often debate the authenticity of this specific quotation, as it does not appear in any of the author's surviving manuscripts or personal correspondence.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.