What does cite mean?
To cite something is to formally acknowledge it as a source of information, evidence, or inspiration. The word appears most frequently in academic, legal, journalistic, and professional contexts where intellectual honesty demands that credit be given where it is due. When a researcher cites a study, she directs readers back to the original work rather than claiming the idea as her own. Beyond scholarly citation, cite can simply mean to mention something as an example or reason — one might cite traffic as a cause for being late. In legal and official settings, to cite can also mean to summon a person before a court or to formally note an infraction. Derived from the Latin citare, meaning to rouse or call upon, cite shares ancestry with recite, excite, and incite, all carrying the core idea of calling forth. Its noun form, citation, names both the act of referencing and the formal acknowledgement itself.
verbTo cite is to quote or refer to a passage, source, or authority as evidence or support, especially in writing or argument. It also means to mention something as an example or reason, or (chiefly in legal contexts) to summon someone before a court.
- To quote or refer to a book, article, or other source as evidence or justification for an argument.
- To mention something as an instance, reason, or example.
- To commend or summon someone for meritorious military service (British military usage).
- To summon a person before a court or judicial authority for formal proceedings (legal usage).
"The author cited three separate studies to support her claim about sleep and memory."
"She cited several peer-reviewed studies to back up her argument about climate change."
"The court cited him for contempt of procedure, requiring his appearance at a formal hearing."
"Cite" and "site" are pronounced identically — so the next time someone says you're citing your sources, they might just mean you're building a website.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cite
Cite derives from the Latin verb citare, meaning to rouse, summon, or call upon, which itself comes from ciere, to set in motion. It entered English via Old French citer during the Middle Ages, with early recorded use dating from around the fourteenth century. Its cognates include recite, excite, incite, solicit, and resuscitate, all tracing back to the same Latin root and sharing the underlying notion of calling forth or stirring up.
Related word forms
How cite is actually used
Predominantly used in academic, legal, journalistic, and professional registers where attribution and evidence matter. It carries no strong positive or negative connotation by itself, though it signals rigor and credibility when used well. In American English, "cite" is strongly associated with citation of sources in scholarly writing, while British English retains more frequent use of the sense meaning "to summon for formal recognition or punishment." The verb takes direct objects: one cites a source, a person, or an example.
Easily confused with cite
"Site" refers to a location or place (or a website), while "cite" means to reference a source; "sight" relates to vision.
"Quote" reproduces a passage word-for-word, whereas "cite" merely points to a source without necessarily repeating its exact wording.