Phrase guide

quote unquote

adj · adv · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • kwōt ŭn-kwōt
  • proscribed: kwōt ŏn-kwōt
  • Received-Pronunciation: /kwəʊ̯t ʌn.kwəʊ̯t/
  • Received-Pronunciation, proscribed: /kwəʊ̯t ɒn.kwəʊ̯t/
  • AuE Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Emphasizes the following (or sometimes preceding) word or phrase for irony, or marks it as not the normal sense of the term.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, not-comparable

Examples

  • Maybe you should ask your quote unquote friend what happened to the money.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: so-called, supposed

Antonyms: none provided

2

adv

Meaning 2

Used in spoken language to delimit a quotation in the same function as quotation marks.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • Adam Smith claimed that a capitalist is, quote, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention, unquote.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: quote

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From quote + unquote, a spoken equivalent of air quotes, used to express satire, sarcasm, irony or euphemism, analogous to scare quotes in print.

Across languages

Translations

27 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: dırnaqarası — emphasizes the following word or phrase for irony
  • Catalan: entre cometas — emphasizes the following word or phrase for irony
  • Danish: i gåseøjne — emphasizes the following word or phrase for irony
  • Finnish: lainausmerkeissä — emphasizes the following word or phrase for irony
  • French: entre guillemets — emphasizes the following word or phrase for irony
  • French: soi-disant — emphasizes the following word or phrase for irony
  • German: in Anführungszeichen — emphasizes the following word or phrase for irony
  • Hebrew: במירכאות (bemerkhaót) — emphasizes the following word or phrase for irony
  • Hebrew: יעני (yáani) — emphasizes the following word or phrase for irony
  • Hungarian: úgynevezett — emphasizes the following word or phrase for irony
  • Hungarian: idézőjeles — emphasizes the following word or phrase for irony
  • Hungarian: idézőjelben — emphasizes the following word or phrase for irony
  • Italian: tra virgolette — emphasizes the following word or phrase for irony
  • Lithuanian: kabutėse — emphasizes the following word or phrase for irony
  • Polish: w cudzysłowie — emphasizes the following word or phrase for irony
  • Polish: w cudzysłowiu — emphasizes the following word or phrase for irony
  • Portuguese: entre aspas — emphasizes the following word or phrase for irony
  • Russian: в кавы́чках (v kavýčkax) — emphasizes the following word or phrase for irony
  • Spanish: entre comillas — emphasizes the following word or phrase for irony
  • Vietnamese: nháy nháy — emphasizes the following word or phrase for irony
  • Finnish: lainausmerkeissä — delimits a direct quotation
  • German: Zitat ... Zitat Ende — delimits a direct quotation
  • German: ich zitiere ... — delimits a direct quotation
  • Hebrew: פתח מירכאות ... סגור מירכאות (ptákh merkhaót ... sgor merkhaót) — delimits a direct quotation
  • Hebrew: ז״ל ... עכ״ל — delimits a direct quotation
  • Lithuanian: cituojant — delimits a direct quotation
  • Polish: cytat ... koniec cytatu — delimits a direct quotation