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mention

v. · n.
US //ˈmɛnʃən// UK //mˈɛnʃən// men·tion
  1. 1 to speak briefly about (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to talk or write about something in a short way without giving many details.

    to refer to something briefly or incidentally in speech or writing. Transitive — requires a direct object or a 'that' clause.

    Example

    I forgot to mention that I will be late for dinner tonight.

    Example

    The report failed to mention the environmental impact of the new factory, focusing instead on the potential for job creation.
    Pitfall
    He mentioned about the problem.
    He mentioned the problem.

    The verb 'mention' is transitive; do not use the preposition 'about' after it.

  2. 2 a short remark (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a short comment or notice about someone or something.

    a brief or casual reference to something or someone.

    Example

    The book includes a brief mention of the author's childhood in Italy.

    Example

    The CEO made a special mention of the marketing team's efforts during the annual general meeting.
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  1. 3 social media tag (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal Computing

    a notification you get when someone uses your name or handle on social media.

    an instance of a user's handle or name being tagged in a post or reply on a social media platform. Often used in the plural.

    Example

    I woke up to dozens of mentions on Twitter after my post went viral.

    Example

    The brand's social media manager spent the morning responding to customer mentions and addressing technical complaints.
  2. 4 referring to a word itself (v.)
    C2 Proficiency Academic Technical Linguistics

    to use a word just to talk about the word itself, not what it means.

    to utter or write an expression to refer to the expression itself rather than its referent. Often contrasted with 'use' in linguistic philosophy.

    Example

    In the sentence 'Apple has five letters', you mention the word 'apple' instead of using it.

    Example

    The philosopher argued that the distinction between use and mention is crucial for avoiding logical fallacies in formal semantics.

    Usage

    Usually involves placing the word in quotation marks or italics.
Origin

Inherited from Middle English mencioun, mention, from Old French mention, from Latin mentiōnem, accusative of mentiō (“a mention, calling to mind”).

Idioms4 entries

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