# quotes

/ˈkwoʊts/ (US) · /kwˈəʊts/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/quotes
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. repeated words

noun · CEFR B1

the exact words that someone else has said or written.

For teachers: verbatim repetitions of phrases or passages from a speech or text.

- The article was full of interesting quotes from the famous director.
- The biographer included several direct quotes from private letters to provide a more intimate perspective on the subject's motivations.

### 2. punctuation marks

noun · CEFR B2

the marks (' ') or (" ") used around words to show that someone is speaking.

For teachers: the punctuation marks used to attribute speech or to highlight a specific term.

- Don't forget to put quotes around the title of the poem.
- The editor insisted on using single quotes for the internal dialogue to distinguish it from the spoken narrative.

### 3. price estimates

noun · CEFR B2

statements of how much a piece of work will cost.

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

- We asked three different builders for quotes before choosing one.
- The procurement department compared several quotes from competing vendors to ensure the project remained within the allocated budget.

## Examples

- She included several famous quotes in her graduation speech.
- The journalist used direct quotes from the witness to make the news story more believable for the readers.
- Academic integrity requires that all direct quotes be enclosed in quotation marks and accompanied by a formal citation to credit the original source.

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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.