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