citation
noun
ci·ta·tion
sī-ˈtā-shən 
1
: an official summons to appear (as before a court)
2
3
: mention: such as
a
: a formal statement of the achievements of a person receiving an academic honor
b
: specific reference in a military dispatch to meritorious performance of duty
a citation for bravery
Examples of citation in a Sentence
He was issued a citation.
He received a citation for reckless driving.
gave her a citation for bravery
Recent Examples on the Web
An editor later updated the citation to point to an Axios article.
—
NPR, 29 Oct. 2025
Months before the citations were made, the Sheriff’s Office filed a lawsuit against Cal-OSHA, sparking a legal battle centered on relatively recent changes to state labor law, and the latter’s authority to investigate and penalize law enforcement agencies.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 29 Oct. 2025
The airline entered into a formal settlement with the department and the citation was deleted.
—Charlotte Observer, 29 Oct. 2025
Grokipedia, like Wikipedia, includes citations for its statements, but several users have pointed out claims with inaccurate citations.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for citation
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show current usage.
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NPR, 29 Oct. 2025
Months before the citations were made, the Sheriff’s Office filed a lawsuit against Cal-OSHA, sparking a legal battle centered on relatively recent changes to state labor law, and the latter’s authority to investigate and penalize law enforcement agencies.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 29 Oct. 2025
The airline entered into a formal settlement with the department and the citation was deleted.
—Charlotte Observer, 29 Oct. 2025
Grokipedia, like Wikipedia, includes citations for its statements, but several users have pointed out claims with inaccurate citations.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for citation
Cite this Entry
“Citation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/citation. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
citation
noun
ci·ta·tion
sī-ˈtā-shən
1
: an official order to appear (as before a court)
2
a
: an act or instance of quoting
3
: a formal statement of what a person did to be chosen to receive an award
Legal Definition
citation
noun
ci·ta·tion
sī-ˈtā-shən
1
: a writ giving notice to a person to appear in court: as
a
: a process served upon an interested party in a probate proceeding
b
: a notice to a person that he or she is charged with a petty offense (as a traffic violation)
also
: the document embodying the notice
Note: Citations are issued in minor criminal cases as an alternative to arrest. Often a person may consent in writing to the penalty specified on the citation and forgo an appearance in court.
2
: the citing of a previously decided case or recognized legal authority as support for an argument
also
: the caption used for referring to such a case or authority especially as published in a reporter
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