unquote
unquote Lexical Profile
unquote Game Scores & Validity
• interjection
Used in speech or dictation to indicate the end of a direct quotation, or paired immediately with 'quote' before a word or phrase to signal irony or skepticism.
"The spokesperson stated that the company was, quote, exploring every available option, unquote."
• noun
A closing quotation mark, or the spoken word used to mark the conclusion of a quotation.
"Make sure to place the period inside the unquote at the end of the sentence."
• verb
To end a quotation in speech or writing.
"He paused briefly to unquote before adding his own commentary on the passage."
To remove surrounding quotation marks or escape characters from a text string, or to evaluate a quoted expression (in computing).
"The parser automatically unquotes string literals before storing the values in the database."
Word Nuance & Usage
In spoken English, 'unquote' is either placed after the quoted material ('quote ... unquote') or paired immediately after 'quote' ('quote unquote ...') before a short phrase to indicate irony or skepticism.
• Rhymes for unquote
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the early 20th century from the prefix 'un-' and 'quote', originally popularized in telegraphy, radio broadcasting, and dictation to audibly mark the end of a quotation.