quotation mark

noun

1. one of the marks used to indicate the beginning and end of a quotation, in English usually shown as “ at the beginning and ” at the end, or, for a quotation within a quotation, of single marks of this kind, as “He said, ‘I will go.’ ” Frequently, especially in Great Britain, single marks are used instead of double, the latter being then used for a quotation within a quotation.

quotation mark

noun

1. either of the punctuation marks used to begin or end a quotation, respectively “ and ” or ‘ and ’ in English printing and writing. When double marks are used, single marks indicate a quotation within a quotation, and vice versa Also calledinverted comma

Word History and Origins

Origin of quotation mark¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

The quotation mark patterns detected by researchers could be a sign of disrespect, used to communicate irony or sarcasm to future clinical readers.

From Salon

They were quotation marks as rendered by a cargo cult, as if someone had once seen a quotation mark but hadn’t ever actually used one.

From Washington Post

I may not remember everything from my Catholic elementary school, but I do remember the nun in second or third grade sharing an easy way to remember how to write quotation marks: One quotation mark looks like “66,” she said.

From Washington Post

Still, he did give me a good quote: “I think what it comes down to is this: If you’re going to have a giant quotation mark, get it right. Take a long hard look at yourself. You only had two punctuation marks to add and you got them both wrong.”

From Washington Post

We’re soooo sorry about a backward quotation mark in last week’s article about sarcasm.

From Washington Post