quotation mark

noun

: one of a pair of punctuation marks " " or ' ' used chiefly to indicate the beginning and the end of a quotation in which the exact phraseology of another or of a text is directly cited

Examples of quotation mark in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Until the meters speak, the million-barrel sentence belongs in quotation marks. — Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 Consider putting quotation marks around names to search for them as exact phrases, and use city or state names and the subjects the person teaches to help narrow your search results. — Mollie Simon, ProPublica, 16 July 2026 LaBarge frequently interrupts the telling to braid her narrative so tautly with those of others that their language blurs together, quotation marks vanishing, lines of demarcation eroding. — Literary Hub, 18 June 2026 But when significant chunks of someone's writing appears word-for-word without quotation marks, it is generally considered plagiarism, according to Edward Wasserman, a professor of journalism at the University of California, Berkeley. — Bobby Allyn, NPR, 17 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for quotation mark

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1859, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of quotation mark was circa 1859

Rhymes for quotation mark

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Browse Nearby Words

quotation furniture
quotation mark
quotation noun
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Cite this Entry

“Quotation mark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quotation%20mark. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

quotation mark

noun
: one of a pair of punctuation marks " " or ' ' used chiefly to indicate the beginning and the end of a direct quotation

More from Merriam-Webster on quotation mark

Nglish: Translation of quotation mark for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about quotation mark

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