DictionaryAI

mention

MEN-shuhn/ˈmɛnʃən/

Verbmentions, mentioning, mentioned

Noun pluralmentions

5 meanings of mention

Practice

  1. 1
    refer toverbtransitive
    To refer to something briefly, often in passing, without discussing it in detail.

    Please mention my name when you call the office.

    He mentioned the budget cuts near the end of the meeting.

    UsageNo preposition before the thing: mention the cost (not incorrect: mention about the cost). You mention something to someone.

    Similarraise, note, cite

  2. 2
    nouncountable or uncountable
    A brief or passing reference to something in speech or writing.

    The report makes only passing mention of the project's early failures.

    Any mention of the lawsuit was quickly cut from the broadcast interview.

    UsageUsually of follows, often after no or brief: no mention of the cost. The verb is often make: make mention of.

    Similarreference, allusion

    Note

    The King James Bible of 1611 has "I will make mention of thy righteousness," and the phrase still works today. Modern English usually adds a qualifier, as in passing mention or no mention, a pairing Shakespeare and Fletcher's "where no mention / Of me" already shows.

  3. 3
    praisenouncountable or uncountable
    Official recognition in public of someone's merit or good work, especially when it is less than a prize or award.

    Although it didn't win, the documentary earned a special mention from the festival jury.

    Her short film did not win a prize, but the judges gave it an honorable mention in their final report.

    UsageUsually special mention or honorable mention. You get, earn or receive one, often from the judges.

    Similarcommendation, citation, acknowledgment

    Note

    It usually comes with an adjective in front, and the commonest pairings are special mention and honorable mention, often the recognition given to an entry that won no higher place but stood out. Unlike a passing mention, this one is given on purpose, as praise, not as an aside.

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    social medianouncountableplural
    On social media, a post or reply that tags or names a user; in the plural, the feed of such posts about that user.

    The senator's staff monitors her mentions for signs of emerging criticism.

    After the announcement, the company's mentions spiked across every platform.

    UsageUsually with a possessive: my mentions, her mentions. People check or go into their mentions.

    Note

    A noun of the Internet age, met mostly in the plural: a single post that names someone is a mention, and the feed of them is someone's mentions. Each post is still, at heart, a brief reference to that person.

  2. 5
    verb
    To utter a word or expression so as to refer to the expression itself rather than to what it normally stands for.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of mention apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

The word goes back to Latin "mentiōnem," the accusative form of "mentiō" ("a mention, calling to mind"). Old French took it as "mention," and Middle English inherited it as "mencioun," also spelled "mention."