# mention

/ˈmɛnʃən/ (US) · /mˈɛnʃən/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/mention
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. to speak briefly about

verb · CEFR B1

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

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

- I forgot to mention that I will be late for dinner tonight.
- The report failed to mention the environmental impact of the new factory, focusing instead on the potential for job creation.

### 2. a short remark

noun · CEFR B1

a short comment or notice about someone or something.

For teachers: a brief or casual reference to something or someone.

- The book includes a brief mention of the author's childhood in Italy.
- The CEO made a special mention of the marketing team's efforts during the annual general meeting.

### 3. social media tag

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

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

For teachers: 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.

- I woke up to dozens of mentions on Twitter after my post went viral.
- The brand's social media manager spent the morning responding to customer mentions and addressing technical complaints.

### 4. referring to a word itself

verb · CEFR C2 · Academic · Technical

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

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

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

## Examples

- The report includes a brief mention of the new budget.
- The author gave a special mention to her parents in the final chapter of the book.
- While the keynote speaker focused primarily on renewable energy, there was a significant mention of the geopolitical challenges currently facing the global supply chain.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.