quote-unquote

British

interjection

an expression used before or part before and part after a quotation to identify it as such, and sometimes to dissociate the writer or speaker from it

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Madigan: Well, I can’t say that I’ve read 1,500 books about alchemy and quote-unquote witchcraft and things like that.

From Los Angeles Times

In “Fargo,” the Coens brilliantly and plainly illustrate how people raised in an area known for its quote-unquote niceness act when they feel cheated by life, and how susceptible they are to evil compared to those who make their own comfort.

From Salon

“They, quote-unquote, innovated by taking what others have created and using it to build their own product,” Muller said.

From The Wall Street Journal

She wouldn’t just lie down and allow people to take something from her, whether or not it’s for her quote-unquote highest good.

From Salon

In a way, “HIM” is a crafty antidote to the era of quote-unquote prestige horror we’ve been steeped in, some of which the film’s co-producer Jordan Peele — who did not direct this movie, in case you neglected to read all of those billboards carefully enough — is responsible for.

From Salon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023