Synonyms mention
mention
refer to somebody/something ▪ speak ▪ cite ▪ quote
These words all mean to write or speak about somebody/something, often in order to give an example or prove something.
mention to write or speak about something/somebody, especially without giving much information:
Nobody mentioned anything to me about it.
refer to somebody/something (rather formal) to mention or speak about somebody/something:
I promised not to refer to the matter again.
speak to mention or describe somebody/something:
Witnesses spoke of a great ball of flame.
cite (formal) to mention something as a reason or an example, or in order to support what you are saying:
He cited his heavy workload as the reason for his breakdown.
quote to mention an example of something to support what you are saying:
Can you quote me an instance of when this happened?
cite or quote?
You can cite reasons or examples, but you can only quote examples: He quoted his heavy workload as the reason for his breakdown. Cite is a more formal word than quote and is often used in more formal situations, for example in descriptions of legal cases.
Patterns
to mention/refer to/speak of/cite/quote somebody/something as somebody/something
to mention/refer to/cite/quote a(n) example/instance/case of something
frequently/often mentioned/referred to/spoken of/cited/quoted
the example mentioned/referred to/cited/quoted above/earlier/previously