citation

/saɪˈteɪʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /saɪˈteɪʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /sī-ˈtā-shən/ (ame, mw)

citation — noun

  • citationsingular
  • citationsplural

1. a short piece of writing, often a single sentence, lifted directly from a book,

1.名詞C1
釋義

a short piece of writing, often a single sentence, lifted directly from a book, speech, or article and reproduced inside another piece of writing, usually to support an argument

例句

Sayaka opened her essay with a citation from Orwell about clear language.

pattern: a citation from + author/work

The lecture included long citations from three different medieval poems.

collocation: long citations from

同義詞
  • quotation

    everyday word for the same idea; preferred when the source is spoken or informally referenced

  • excerpt

    a longer passage taken from a work, not necessarily quoted word-for-word in another text

  • quote

    informal noun form, common in journalism and conversation

文法句型

a citation from [book / author]

include a citation

用法筆記

Object is usually a written or recorded source (a book, speech, court decision, paper). In academic writing, often interchangeable with 'quotation', though 'citation' also covers shorter reference markers like footnotes.

常見錯誤

❌She gave a citation about hard work.
✅She offered a quotation about hard work.
💡'citation' usually implies a written source you can point to; a remembered or spoken line is normally 'quotation'.

2. a written notice from a court or police officer ordering a person to come to cou

2.名詞C1
釋義

a written notice from a court or police officer ordering a person to come to court, or telling them they have broken a minor rule such as a traffic law

例句

Officer Walid handed Dylan a citation for parking next to a fire hydrant.

pattern: a citation for + offence

Lucía received a citation telling her to appear at the family court.

collocation: receive a citation

同義詞
  • summons

    formal court-issued order to appear; broader scope than a traffic citation

  • ticket

    everyday word for a minor traffic citation, especially in British English

  • writ

    more formal legal document; usually starts a court action rather than penalising a minor offence

文法句型

receive / issue a citation

a citation for [offence]

用法筆記

Common collocation 'a citation for [offence]' names the rule that was broken. American English uses 'citation' for minor traffic tickets where British English often prefers 'ticket' or 'summons'.

常見錯誤

❌The judge sent him to prison with a citation.
✅The judge sent him to prison with a sentence.
💡'citation' is the order telling someone to appear or naming an offence, not the punishment itself.

3. a public statement, often part of a medal or award, that praises someone — usual

3.名詞C1
釋義

a public statement, often part of a medal or award, that praises someone — usually a soldier — for a brave or outstanding action and explains what they did

例句

Vinícius received a citation for pulling two crew members from the burning helicopter.

pattern: a citation for + brave action

The general read the citation aloud before pinning the medal on Tara's uniform.

同義詞
  • commendation

    very close in meaning; sometimes the spoken praise rather than the written text

  • award

    broader term; an award can be a trophy or money, while a citation is specifically the praise text

  • honour

    general term for any public recognition; less specific about the form

反義詞
  • reprimand

    formal scolding for misconduct, the opposite of an official praise

文法句型

receive a citation for [bravery]

a citation for [meritorious service]

用法筆記

Almost always paired with a medal or formal ceremony, mostly in military, police, or firefighting contexts. The text of the citation explains the specific action, so the noun often takes verbs like 'reads', 'describes', 'praises'.

常見錯誤

❌He won a citation in the singing competition.
✅He won an award in the singing competition.
💡'citation' in this sense is reserved for bravery or meritorious service, not for sport or arts prizes.

4. the activity of mentioning a particular source, court case, or earlier piece of

4.名詞C2
釋義

the activity of mentioning a particular source, court case, or earlier piece of work as evidence to back up what you are saying or writing

例句

Daichi argued that frequent citation of weak studies had damaged the field's reputation.

pattern: citation of + sources

In law school, Reuben learned the rules for the correct citation of earlier rulings.

collocation: citation of earlier rulings

同義詞
  • referencing

    everyday near-equivalent in academic writing; covers the same activity

  • quoting

    narrower; specifically about reproducing exact words rather than naming a source

  • attribution

    emphasises crediting the source rather than the act of pulling text from it

反義詞
  • plagiarism

    using someone's work without citation; the opposite of properly citing sources

文法句型

the citation of [source / case]

in citation of

用法筆記

Uncountable in this sense — refers to the practice, not individual quoted passages. Distinguish from sense 1, which is a single quoted passage you can count; here 'citation' names the activity itself.

常見錯誤

❌He added three citations of the same book.' (when meaning the act)
✅He referred to the same book three times.
💡when 'citation' names the activity, it is uncountable; use a different phrasing for counting individual references.