From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishmentionmen‧tion1 /ˈmenʃən/ ●●● S1 W1 verb [transitive] 1 MENTIONto talk or write about something or someone, usually quickly and without saying very much or giving details Was my name mentioned at all? Some of the problems were mentioned in his report.mention something to somebody I mentioned the idea to Joan, and she seemed to like it.mention (that) He mentioned that he was having problems, but he didn’t explain. It’s worth mentioning (=it is important enough to mention) that they only studied a very small number of cases. As I mentioned earlier, there have been a lot of changes recently. She mentioned in passing (=mentioned in a quick unimportant way) that you had just been to Rome.now you mention it (=used to say that you had not thought about something until the speaker mentioned it) Now you mention it, I haven’t seen her around lately.fail/omit/neglect to mention something (=not mention something you should mention) The report failed to mention that most of the landowners do not live on their properties.► see thesaurus at sayGRAMMAR: Patterns with mentionMention is a transitive verb and must be followed by an object. You say: He mentioned a book he’d read. ✗Don’t say: He mentioned about a book. You say: She mentioned that she might be late. ✗Don’t say: She mentioned about she might be late.2 → don’t mention it3 → not to mention something4 → be mentioned in dispatchesCOLLOCATIONSphrasesas I mentioned earlierAs I mentioned earlier, it will cost a lot of money.it is worth mentioning that (=it is important enough to mention)It is worth mentioning again that most accidents happen in the home.mention something in passing (=mention something without much detail, especially while you were talking about something else)She mentioned in passing that she had an eight-year-old son.now (that) you mention it (=used for saying that you had not thought of something until someone else mentioned it)I’ve never been to his house either, now that you mention it.fail/neglect/omit to mention something (=deliberately not mention something)I omitted to mention that I had not been to university.forget to mention somethingI must not forget to mention how kind he was to us.avoid mentioning somethingThey both avoided mentioning John, though Anne longed to talk about him.mention somebody’s nameWhy does he look angry every time I mention Clare’s name?to mention but a few (=used when you are only giving a few examples)She had taken a number of classes, including photography, art, and pottery, to mention but a few. THESAURUSmention to talk or write about something or someone, usually quickly and without saying very much or giving detailsKate had mentioned his name a few times, but I had not met him before.Jack mentioned that you might be looking for a new job.refer to somebody/something to say something about someone or something in a conversation, speech, or piece of writingHe had earlier referred to difficulties in gathering evidence.It was not clear which case he was referring to.touch on something to briefly mention a subject during a speech, lesson, piece of writing etcThis problem has already been touched on in Chapter 4.bring something up to start to talk about a particular subject during a conversation or meetingI didn’t want to bring up the subject of money.I knew you’d bring that up!raise to mention a subject that people should start to discuss or think about. Raise is more formal than bring something upHe promised to raise the issue with the prime minister.They raised a number of points.broach to mention a subject that may be embarrassing or upsetting, or that may cause an argumentI was reluctant to broach the subject of payment.cite formal to mention something as an example or proof of something else, or as a reason for somethingHong Kong is often cited as an example of this kind of economic system.allude to something formal to mention something in a way that is deliberately not directMany of the ancient Greek poets allude to this myth. → See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
mention• "Why didn't you tell me?" "It didn't seem worth mentioning."• We didn't really discuss the price, but somebody mentioned a figure of £300.• An Inhibition as mentioned above, is rarely used.• As mentioned at the beginning, oil paints dry by oxidisation.• As I mentioned earlier, not all children who are aggressive display these physical characteristics.• As I mentioned earlier, sales this year have been lower than expected.• When you were talking to Barbara, did she mention her mother at all?• When I mentioned her name, he looked embarrassed.• Did I mention I saw Lee and John yesterday?• Then he remembered that Liz had mentioned in passing that her father was a lawyer.• Now that you mention it, I did think she was behaving a little strangely last night.• As mentioned, later on we will talk about the importance of being a brand.• The insurance industry has all the power, not to mention our friend Chuck Quackenbush as state insurance commissioner.• He mentioned something about a party, but he didn't say when it was.• At that stage the inspector did not mention spent nuclear fuel.• I forgot to mention that I won't be in tomorrow.• Eve mentioned that you might be looking for a temporary job.• It is worth mentioning that young children are particularly vulnerable to accidents in the home.• She mentioned this every year until the year our parents died and she betrayed me, paying me back.• She had started having nose bleeds, but when she mentioned this to her doctor, he told her not to worry.• Did he mention where he went to school?• He didn't mention which limb though.fail/omit/neglect to mention something• But he failed to mention one key appeal: fun.• For some reason Ted neglected to mention the deals when he was responding to questions from the board.• They offered no explanation for why they failed to mention the excessive airborne formaldehyde last week.• New Labour failed to mention the theatre in one of its early cheerleading manifestos for Cool Britannia.• Scriven had neglected to mention this in his presentation.• Modern censures on Herodotos for failing to mention this obstacle have, here as often, been proved unjustified.• Why then omit to mention Walter?mentionmention2 ●●○ noun [countable usually singular, uncountable] MENTIONwhen someone mentions something or someone in a conversation, piece of writing etcmention of He made no mention of his wife’s illness.at the mention of something At the mention of a trip to the seaside, the children got very excited. They all get a mention (=they are all mentioned) in the book.deserve/merit (a) mention There is one other person who deserves special mention (=is especially worth mentioning for something they have done). → honourable mentionCOLLOCATIONSverbsmake no mention of somethingNelson made no mention of his family; he talked only of his work.get/receive a mentionThis type of research rarely gets a mention in the media.deserve/merit a mentionThe village was large enough to merit a mention in the 11th century Domesday Book.adjectivesa brief mentionDillon makes only a brief mention of the idea in his book.special/particular mentionMrs. McMillan deserves particular mention for all her hard work.a passing mention (=a brief mention when other things seem more important)There was only a passing mention of the event in the paper.phrasesbe worthy of mention (=deserve to be talked about)This book is particularly worthy of mention for the clarity of its writing.the mere mention of something (=the fact of saying something that seems unimportant)The mere mention of his name caused her to burst into tears. Examples from the Corpus
mention• The case even got a mention in some of the national newspapers.• Players not even worth a mention now can change everything with a good game or two.• Omit any mention of a short-term job that you left on poor terms?• Mr Franks made no mention of any changes at the top of the company.• Faculty minutes likewise make no mention of any admissions decision concerning him.• There was no mention of a pay rise.• Ever since Ben had first found that single mention of him in the journals.• Two other specialist texts deserve special mention.• Tonight, she figures her contribution on the court is worth special mention.• Please don't switch off at the mention of maths, if you can use a calculator, you an do this.• The next thing to disappear without mention was the Ransome.special mention• About.com deserves a special mention, because unlike most directories, is a topics are and by expert guides.• David Whitehead of the University of Sheffield received a special mention and a prize of £100.• Two of these behaviors deserve special mention.• Parents' groups deserve special mention.• And there are neighbouring glens on the east side of the watershed, also lovely and deserving of special mention.• In a month-long seat belt campaign during 1992, this group received special mention and considerable media attention.• The chairman thanked all committee members, with special mention of Violet Scrace's Friday coffee mornings.• Tonight, she figures her contribution on the court is worth special mention.Origin mention2 (1300-1400) Old French Latin mentio, from mens “mind” 