I. men ‧ tion 1 S1 W1 /ˈmenʃ ə n/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
1 . to 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.
► Do not say ‘mention about’ something. Mention is followed by a direct object : She didn’t mention her mother.
2 . don’t mention it spoken used to say politely that there is no need for someone to thank you for helping them:
‘Thanks for the ride home!’ ‘Don’t mention it.’
3 . not to mention something used to introduce an additional thing that makes a situation even more difficult, surprising, interesting etc:
Pollution has a negative effect on the health of everyone living in the city, not to mention the damage to the environment.
It’s too far to walk, not to mention the fact that it’ll probably be closed by now anyway.
4 . be mentioned in dispatches British English to have your name on an official list of people who have been brave in battle, as an honour
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COLLOCATIONS
■ phrases
▪ as I mentioned earlier
As 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 something
I must not forget to mention how kind he was to us.
▪ avoid mentioning something
They both avoided mentioning John, though Anne longed to talk about him.
▪ mention sb’s name
Why 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.
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THESAURUS
▪ mention to talk or write about something or someone, usually quickly and without saying very much or giving details:
Kate had mentioned his name a few times, but I had not met him before.
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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 writing:
He had earlier referred to difficulties in gathering evidence.
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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 etc:
This problem has already been touched on in Chapter 4.
▪ bring something up to start to talk about a particular subject during a conversation or meeting:
I didn’t want to bring up the subject of money.
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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 up :
He promised to raise the issue with the Prime Minister.
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They raised a number of points.
▪ broach to mention a subject that may be embarrassing or upsetting, or that may cause an argument:
I 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 something:
Hong 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 direct:
Many of the ancient Greek poets allude to this myth.
II. mention 2 BrE AmE noun [countable usually singular, uncountable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: Latin mentio , from mens 'mind' ]
when someone mentions something or someone in a conversation, piece of writing etc
mention 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 mention
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ make no mention of something
Nelson made no mention of his family; he talked only of his work.
▪ get/receive a mention
This type of research rarely gets a mention in the media.
▪ deserve/merit a mention
The village was large enough to merit a mention in the 11th century Domesday Book.
■ adjectives
▪ a brief mention
Dillon makes only a brief mention of the idea in his book.
▪ special/particular mention
Mrs. 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.
■ phrases
▪ be 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.