quotation

quotation — noun

1. a sentence or group of words that a person repeats from a longer piece of writin

1.nounB1
Definition

a sentence or group of words that a person repeats from a longer piece of writing — such as a novel, poem, or speech — especially when the words are well-known or fit what the speaker wants to say.

Example

Trang began her speech with a quotation from a poem by Rumi.

quotation + from [source]

The teacher asked the class to find a quotation from the novel showing its main theme.

find a quotation from [text]

Common collocations
  • famous quotation
  • direct quotation
  • favourite quotation
  • quotation from
  • memorable quotation
Synonyms
  • quote

    informal, shortened form, very common in speech

  • excerpt

    a longer selected passage, not necessarily an exact reproduction of a famous line

  • citation

    more formal, often used in academic writing with a reference

  • passage

    any section of text, does not imply it is someone else's words being repeated

Grammar Patterns

quotation + from [source]

quotation + by [person]

Usage Note

Often followed by 'from' to indicate the source (a quotation from Shakespeare). Distinguished from sense 4 (ACT OF QUOTING), which refers to the process or practice rather than the specific text itself.

Common Mistakes

I found a quotation of Einstein.
I found a quotation from Einstein.
The source of a quotation is introduced with 'from', not 'of'.
She read a quotation about the book.
She read a quotation from the book.
Use 'from' before the work the words are taken out of, not 'about'.

2. a written statement from a business or worker telling a customer how much a spec

2.nounB1
Definition

a written statement from a business or worker telling a customer how much a specific job or service will cost, usually given in advance so the customer can decide whether to accept the price.

Example

Pedro asked three different builders to give him a quotation for repairing the roof.

ask [someone] + for a quotation + for [work]

The company accepted the lowest quotation for installing the new air conditioning system.

Common collocations
  • get a quotation
  • ask for a quotation
  • written quotation
  • free quotation
  • detailed quotation
  • quotation for
Synonyms
  • quote

    informal, very common in business speech

  • estimate

    similar meaning but may be less firm; a quotation is usually a fixed promise, while an estimate can change

  • price

    broader term; a price can be a fixed label, whereas a quotation is a proposal for specific work

  • tender

    formal, used when companies compete for large contracts

Grammar Patterns

get + quotation

quotation + for [work]

Usage Note

Frequently used with the verbs 'get', 'ask for', 'give', and 'send'. In informal British English, the shortened form 'quote' is very common ('Can you give me a quote for the work?'). Unlike an invoice, a quotation is given before the work is done.

Common Mistakes

The quotation was too high so I didn't buy it.
The quotation was too high so I didn't accept it.
A quotation is a price offer, not the goods themselves.
Please send me a quotation of the new phone.
Please send me a quotation for repairing the phone.
A quotation is for work or a service, not for a product you buy off the shelf.

3. an official current price for a company's shares on a stock exchange, or the sit

3.nounB2
Definition

an official current price for a company's shares on a stock exchange, or the situation of those shares being listed and available for trading on that exchange.

Example

The company gained a quotation on the Tokyo Stock Exchange last year.

gain a quotation on [stock exchange]

Erik checked the stock quotation for his shares in the morning newspaper.

Common collocations
  • stock quotation
  • share quotation
  • gain a quotation
  • obtain a quotation
  • real-time quotation
  • official quotation
Synonyms
  • share price

    more common in everyday speech; refers to the current value of one share

  • stock price

    the American equivalent of 'share price'

  • listing

    refers specifically to the fact that shares are traded on an exchange

  • market price

    broader term, used for any traded asset

Grammar Patterns

quotation + on [stock exchange]

stock + quotation

Usage Note

When meaning 'listing on an exchange', the verb 'gain' or 'obtain' is typical. When meaning 'current price', it is often used attributively ('stock quotation', 'share quotation'). More commonly replaced by 'share price' or 'stock price' in everyday financial discussion.

Common Mistakes

The company's quotation went up 5%.
The company's share price rose 5%.
'Quotation' in the stock sense usually refers to the official listing status or the published price data, not the day-to-day price movement — use 'share price' instead.
I bought a quotation of the stock.
I bought shares of the stock.
A quotation is the price or listing, not the shares themselves.

4. the activity or practice of repeating someone else's exact words from a book, sp

4.nounB2
Definition

the activity or practice of repeating someone else's exact words from a book, speech, or other source, especially in writing or formal speaking — for example, when a student copies a sentence from a novel into an essay and marks it with quotation marks.

Example

Ryo's essay relied too heavily on direct quotation and lacked his own analysis.

direct quotation [uncountable, academic writing]

The professor explained the difference between paraphrasing and direct quotation.

Common collocations
  • direct quotation
  • proper quotation
  • the practice of quotation
  • overuse of quotation
Synonyms
  • citing

    more formal, often implies providing a full reference

  • quoting

    the more natural gerund form; 'quotation' as a noun for this sense is more formal

  • referencing

    broader; includes paraphrasing as well as direct quotation

Antonyms
  • paraphrasing

    restating in your own words, the opposite of direct quotation

Grammar Patterns

direct quotation

through quotation

Usage Note

Uncountable — do not say 'a quotation' when referring to the practice. Distinguish from sense 1 (LITERARY QUOTATION), where 'quotation' is countable and refers to a specific instance of quoted text.

Common Mistakes

He made a quotation of the whole poem.
He quoted the whole poem.
For the uncountable act, use the verb 'quote' or the gerund form 'quoting' instead of 'make a quotation'.
Good writers use many quotations.' (when meaning the practice)
Good writers use quotation effectively.
Use the uncountable form when referring to the general practice, not individual instances.

Word family

  • quote
    verbA2
  • quote
    nounB1
  • quotable
    adjectiveC1
  • unquotable
    adjectiveC2
  • quotation marks
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Quotation, citation, excerpt, and passage all refer to text drawn from a larger work, but they differ in key ways. A quotation is the exact reproduction of someone else's words, typically placed inside quotation marks and attributed to the original speaker or writer. A citation is a more formal academic reference that tells the reader where the information came from; it may or may not include the exact quoted words, but always includes bibliographic details such as the author, year, and page number. An excerpt is a selected segment cut from a longer text, often used in anthologies or previews, and does not carry the same expectation of being an exact word-for-word reproduction of a famous line. A passage is any continuous section of writing, and it does not necessarily imply that the words belong to another author. For example: 'The essay began with a quotation from Churchill' (exact words, credited); 'The anthology printed an excerpt from the novel' (a selected portion); 'The paper includes a citation from a 2023 journal article' (a formal reference with full details).

quotation ↗citationexcerpt ↗passage ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • quotation marks
  • source of the quotation
  • in quotation

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinMedieval LatinEnglish

The word 'quotation' comes from Latin 'quotatio', the noun form of 'quotare', meaning 'to mark with numbers' or 'to number chapters'. This came from Latin 'quot' meaning 'how many'. In medieval times, 'quotare' was used for numbering passages in texts. By the 16th century, the meaning shifted from 'numbering passages' to 'referring to a numbered passage', and later to the modern sense of 'repeating someone else's exact words'. The business and stock market senses developed in the 19th century, extending the idea of 'stating a figure' from the earlier practice of quoting passages.