- 1cite something (as something) to mention something as a reason or an example, or in order to support what you are saying He cited his heavy workload as the reason for his breakdown. Synonymsmentionrefer to somebody/something speak cite quoteThese words all mean to write or speak about somebody/something, often in order to give an example or prove something.mention to write or speak about something/somebody, especially without giving much information:Nobody mentioned anything to me about it.refer to somebody/something (rather formal) to mention or speak about somebody/something:I promised not to refer to the matter again. speak to mention or describe somebody/something:Witnesses spoke of a great ball of flame.cite (formal) to mention something as a reason or an example, or in order to support what you are saying:He cited his heavy workload as the reason for his breakdown.quote to mention an example of something to support what you are saying:Can you quote me an instance of when this happened?cite or quote? You can cite reasons or examples, but you can only quote examples:He quoted his heavy workload as the reason for his breakdown. Cite is a more formal word than quote and is often used in more formal situations, for example in descriptions of legal cases.Patterns to mention/refer to/speak of/cite/quote somebody/something as somebody/something to mention/refer to/cite/quote a(n) example/instance/case of something frequently/often mentioned/referred to/spoken of/cited/quoted the example mentioned/referred to/cited/quoted above/earlier/previously
- 2cite something to speak or write the exact words from a book, an author, etc. synonym quote She cited a passage from the President’s speech.
- 3cite somebody (for something) (law) to order somebody to appear in court; to name somebody officially in a legal case He was cited for contempt of court. She was cited in the divorce proceedings.
- 4cite somebody (for something) to mention somebody officially or publicly because they deserve special praise He was cited for bravery. Word Origin late Middle English (in sense (3), originally with reference to a court of ecclesiastical law): from Old French citer, from Latin citare, from ciere, cire
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BrE BrE//saɪt//; NAmE NAmE//saɪt//(formal)Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they cite
BrE BrE//saɪt//; NAmE NAmE//saɪt//he / she / it cites
BrE BrE//saɪts//; NAmE NAmE//saɪts//past simple cited
BrE BrE//ˈsaɪtɪd//; NAmE NAmE//ˈsaɪtɪd//past participle cited
BrE BrE//ˈsaɪtɪd//; NAmE NAmE//ˈsaɪtɪd//-ing form citing
BrE BrE//ˈsaɪtɪŋ//; NAmE NAmE//ˈsaɪtɪŋ//