mention
Americanverb (used with object)
-
mentions,
present (3rd person singular)
-
mentioned,
past participle, past
-
mentioning
present participle
-
to refer briefly to; name, specify, or speak of.
Don't forget to mention her contribution to the project.
- Synonyms:
- indicate
-
to cite formally for a meritorious act or achievement.
He was mentioned in dispatches from the war zone.
noun
-
mentions
plural
idioms
verb
-
to refer to or speak about briefly or incidentally
-
to acknowledge or honour
-
to say nothing of something too obvious to mention
noun
-
a recognition or acknowledgment
-
a slight reference or allusion
he only got a mention in the article
the author makes no mention of that
-
the act of mentioning
-
philosophy logic linguistics the occurrence (of an expression) in such a context that it is itself referred to rather than performing its own linguistic function. In " Fido " names Fido, the word Fido is first mentioned and then used to refer to the dog Compare use See also formal mode
-
a preliminary hearing in a court of law
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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mentionernoun
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prementionnoun
-
intermentionverb
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rementionverb (used with object)
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mentionableadjective
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undermentionedadjective
-
unmentionedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
mentionsimple
-
mentionssimple
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have mentionedperfect
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has mentionedperfect
-
am mentioningprogressive
-
are mentioningprogressive
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is mentioningprogressive
-
have been mentioningperfect progressive
-
has been mentioningperfect progressive
Past
-
mentionedsimple
-
had mentionedperfect
-
was mentioningprogressive
-
were mentioningprogressive
-
had been mentioningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mention
First recorded in 1250–1300; from Latin mentiōn-, stem of mentiō, literally, “a calling to mind, a touching upon” ( see mental 1, -ion); replacing Middle English mencioun, from Anglo-French, from Latin, as above
Explanation
To mention something is to bring it up. If your mother embarrasses you by constantly mentioning your stuffed animal that you've been sleeping with for the past 15 years, you might mention it to her. In the context of awards, an "honorable mention" is an official recognition but not a prize. If you enter a writing competition, the judges might not think your piece is the best, but they might mention, or briefly say, that it came very close to winning.
Vocabulary lists containing mention
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 6
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 4
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The New SAT: The Language of the Test
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
And don’t mention the TikTok videos showing how the bags can help turn a phone into a seat-back screen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
You didn’t mention a legacy plan, but unless you have a purpose for that much money, you can spend a little more and still be considered cautious.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
"It's been a surreal experience to be the focus of such widespread outrage after just one mention by a celebrity."
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Leo's thoughts, upon being elected pope in May 2025, were immediately with his "beloved diocese of Chiclayo," which earned a special mention in his first public address from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
“Meanwhile, maybe don’t mention that you know anything?”
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Who has an army of trolls who fill up her mentions every day with invective.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
The second track, “Heart Has to Work So Hard,” touches on the difficulty of making relationships work, but also mentions the biological compound adenosine, used by cardiologists to regulate the titular organ’s rhythm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Search engines and AI rely on web scraping and frequency of mentions, and the sheer volume of his fake posts caused AI to mistakenly identify him as an NFL wide receiver.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
However the deal only mentions the project once, and contains no concrete proposal.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
He mentions twice more that he’s pissed off that I never told him about John the pervert.
From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King
The education ministry and the schools mentioned were contacted for comment.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Aikman laughed when that report was mentioned during his radio interview.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Rubio mentioned the influence of Plato as a key link between ancient Greece and the founding of the United States.
From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2026
He played the role with honesty and accessibility, cracking jokes as a teen whose health condition was never mentioned in the series.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
“American pheasants?” asked Arnold Myerson, who as I mentioned was nearly deaf.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
He admitted to "unacceptable mistakes" without mentioning any specific cases.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Gate agents now start making announcements earlier when a flight is oversold, including explaining why and mentioning compensation options right away for volunteering to take a later flight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
“We do not need to avoid mentioning competition, but our competition should be a healthy one, and should be kept within bounds,” the Chinese president said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had where someone says, “Even mentioning this can stir up fear and doubt.”
From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026
I couldn’t help thinking how in that case, if Granny Blakeslee was alive she would call it worth mentioning that Grandpa finally got what he wanted most in life after he died.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
