citation

Noun

citation (countable and uncountable, plural citations)

1. An official summons or notice given to a person to appear.
   • No citation was issued upon this appeal returnable to the next term of this court, nor was the record filed and the cause docketed during that term. On the 29th of May, 1865, however, a citation was issued, returnable at this term, and service of this citation was acknowledged by the present...1851, “United States Reports/Volume 70”, in Castro v. United States, United States Supreme Court
   • In late September, over a three-day period, Placer County conducted 183 stops among riders, some involving groups, which led to 30 citations and 25 e-motorcycles being towed.2025 October 9, Denzen Cortez, “Placer County enforces e-bike and e-motorcycle regulations to curb reckless riding”, in KCRA

   Synonyms:

   invocation, subpoena, summons, writ of summons

2. The paper containing such summons or notice.
3. The act of citing a passage from a text, or from another person, using the exact words of the original text or speech and giving credit to the original by referencing.
4. An entry in a list of sources from which information was taken, typically following a prescribed bibliographical style; a reference.
5. An instance of having had one's work cited.
   • She has over 1,000 citations.
6. The passage or words quoted; a quotation.

   Synonyms:

   cite, quotation, quote

7. A quotation with attached bibliographical details demonstrating the use of a particular lexical item in a dictionary, especially a dictionary on historical principles.
   • Historically, target words were garnered through focused reading programs and citations were handwritten on slips of paper which were collated alphabetically and stored in drawers for ready access (much like old-fashioned library catalogues).2018, James Lambert, “A multitude of ‘lishes’: The nomenclature of hybridity”, in English World-Wide, page 3
8. Enumeration; mention.
   • It's a simple citation of facts.

   Synonyms:

   listing, numbering, telling, counting, enumeration, numeration

9. A reference to decided cases, or books of authority, to prove a point in law.
10. A commendation in recognition of some achievement, or a formal statement of an achievement.