mention

1 of 2

noun

men·​tion ˈmen(t)-shən How to pronounce mention (audio)
1
: the act or an instance of citing or calling attention to someone or something especially in a casual or incidental manner
There was hardly a mention of the plan's possible dangers.
2
: formal citation (see citation sense 3) for outstanding achievement
The journalist received special mention for her reportage on the recent advances in cancer research.

mention

2 of 2

verb

mentioned; mentioning ˈmen(t)-sh(ə-)niŋ How to pronounce mention (audio)

transitive verb

: to make mention of : refer to
also : to cite for outstanding achievement
mentionable adjective
mentioner noun
Phrases
not to mention
: not even yet counting or considering : and notably in addition
a proposal that's risky and expensive, not to mention unethical

Examples of mention in a Sentence

Noun In her speech, she carefully avoided any mention of her costar. There was barely a mention of the plan's possible dangers. The mere mention of blood makes me ill. I get nervous at the mention of his name. Her contributions deserve a mention. One other issue deserves special mention. Verb She's never mentioned anything to me about her husband. I get nervous every time his name is mentioned. They mentioned him by name. I believe I mentioned the problem to you last week. Most history books don't even mention the event. As previously mentioned, his proposal has been widely criticized. He fails to mention, however, the seriousness of the crime. She mentioned that she would be out of the office the following day.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
That may explain in part its best feature and director awards at Spain’s Gijón Festival building on special mentions at Locarno from a Youth Jury and at Valladolid, in its Rainbow Prize category, plus a Special Jury Prize at France’s Chéries-Chéris Festival, one of Europe’s top LGBT events. John Hopewell, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 Pricing and No Profit Sharing Pricing is a crucial consideration for any seller, and Why Unified's pricing structure receives special mention in many Why Unified reviews. Tyler Shepherd, Detroit Free Press, 4 Mar. 2024 Other notable mentions include the Max Original drama series, The Girls on the Bus, which follows four female journalists with different reporting styles and personalities who hit the campaign trail. Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Autrey James, past commander of Antioch’s American Legion who took office just after Greenawalt vacated it, didn’t recall the flag story but did remember Greenawalt’s mention of serving in Vietnam. Judith Prieve, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2024 Most mentions of Florida were mere puffery, with little indication of what DeSantis intends to accomplish. Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 22 Feb. 2024 Chargers OLBs Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa The Chargers' two star pass rushers warrant a separate mention here. Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024 Right away, the mention of your toddler is a means to start bridging back to the snippets and is a kind of helpful clue for finding something that might be relevant. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 So when a former student wants Asaf’s signature on a manifesto protesting the police killing of the student’s cousin, a Black man, Asaf signs, despite misgivings about the manifesto’s mentions of Israel and apartheid. Marc Tracy, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024
Verb
In any event, Chiarello’s story did little to assuage reservation holders already worried about buying a truck with apparent structural defects like misaligned panels, not to mention potentially weak performance metrics. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2024 Murphy's terse talk and thousand-yard stare are enough to intimidate all comers (not to mention the razor sewn into the peak of his newsboy cap). Danny Horn, EW.com, 7 Mar. 2024 By late August of last year, Cuellar owed the vendor a little more than $33,000, the suit mentions. Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024 Like the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times mentioned Pennway Point, the KC Wheel and Rock Island Bridge as key features coming to Kansas City in 2024. Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024 James mentioned her in his latest comedy special James poked fun at de la cruz—and her gift for gab—in his comedy special Irregardless. Effie Orfanides, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 Not to mention the threat of violence that has loomed over U.S. politics since Mr. Trump’s supporters rioted at the Capitol. Lisa Lerer, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Although Cattlemen’s was founded to satisfy its namesake population, it’s adored by Oklahomans of all kinds—not to mention visitors from across the country, including musicians, actors, and even Presidents. Katie Akin, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2024 The Indianapolis Zoo has had to mention the phishing ad to patrons for first pointed out the scam to zoo patrons on X on Feb. 26. Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mention.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English mencioun, from Anglo-French mencion, from Latin mention-, mentio; akin to Latin meminisse to remember, ment-, mens mind

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1530, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mention was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near mention

Cite this Entry

“Mention.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mention. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mention

1 of 2 noun
men·​tion ˈmen-chən How to pronounce mention (audio)
: a brief or passing reference to something

mention

2 of 2 verb
mentioned; mentioning ˈmench-(ə-)niŋ How to pronounce mention (audio)
: to refer to or speak about briefly
mentionable adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on mention

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!