double quotes
- noun
:
comillas dobles
Examples
-
When a set of double quotes was used (e.g., "I like her"), two punctuation marks were counted.
Academic text (2002) -
When quoting her favorite line from the book, she used double quotes: "The truth will set you free."
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In programming, it's important to remember that strings should be enclosed in double quotes to avoid errors.
-
He asked, "Can you tell me where you found that quote?" emphasizing the use of double quotes in direct speech.
Synonyms
305
2.3
Marks at the start and end of words that show someone's exact speech or writing
8
1.1
Small signs in writing used to show the exact words someone said or a short title like a song
Antonyms
A punctuation mark like an apostrophe used to show speech or a quote inside another quote
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a pair of quotation marks' is directly and transparently derived from 'double' (twofold) plus 'quotes' (quotation marks); a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to two quotation marks used to mark quoted text or string literals. This compositional pattern is common and parallels expressions in many other languages, so prior exposure is not required for understanding.
Etymology
Double quotes comes from old printers who used two small marks—one before and one after spoken words. The picture of two marks, double (two) and quotes (the marks around words), helps us remember they show 'direct speech'.