English Meaning & Definitions
To quote or refer to a passage, book, or author as evidence for or justification of an argument or statement.
- “The researcher spent hours citing various academic journals to support her hypothesis.”
- “He was criticized for citing outdated statistics in his presentation.”
To mention as an example, especially one that justifies or proves something.
- “The report is citing high inflation as the primary reason for the company's decline.”
- “She was citing her own experience as a reason for why the policy should be changed.”
To summon someone to appear in a court of law.
- “The driver was cited for reckless driving after the accident.”
- “The landlord was cited for failing to meet basic safety regulations.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “citing”.
Derived from the Middle English 'citen', which comes from the Old French 'citer', originating from the Latin 'citare', meaning 'to summon, urge, or call'. It is the frequentative form of 'ciere', meaning 'to set in motion'. Historically, it was used in legal contexts to summon someone to court, later evolving to mean summoning evidence or authorities to support an argument.
Think of 'citing' as 'SIGHT-ing' evidence: you are pointing your sight toward a source to prove your point.
Frequently Asked Questions About “citing”
1. What is the meaning of “citing” in English?
In English, citing (verb) is defined as: “To quote or refer to a passage, book, or author as evidence for or justification of an argument or statement.”.
2. How do you use “citing” in a sentence?
“The researcher spent hours citing various academic journals to support her hypothesis.”
3. What are English synonyms of “citing”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “citing”?
Derived from the Middle English 'citen', which comes from the Old French 'citer', originating from the Latin 'citare', meaning 'to summon, urge, or call'. It is the frequentative form of 'ciere', meaning 'to set in motion'. Historically, it was used in legal contexts to summon someone to court, later evolving to mean summoning evidence or authorities to support an argument.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.