highlight
Americanverb (used with object)
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to emphasize or make prominent.
The lawsuit against the landlord highlighted the need for a stricter building code.
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to mark with a felt-tip highlighter.
I started highlighting the text (yellow for important ideas, blue for dates and facts), but I'm not sure it was productive in the long run.
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to create highlights in (a photograph or engraving).
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to dye (parts of the hair) lighter.
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to apply makeup to (the face) in places where light would naturally hit, to create a glowing effect.
After blending the foundation, highlight the cheekbones.
noun
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Sometimes high light an important, conspicuous, memorable, or enjoyable event, scene, part, or the like: the highlight of the concert series.
the highlight of his talk;
the highlight of the concert series.
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the area of most intense light on a represented form, as in a painting or photograph.
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Usually highlights a section of hair that has been dyed lighter.
noun
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an area of the lightest tone in a painting, drawing, photograph, etc
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the most exciting or memorable part of an event or period of time
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(often plural) a bleached blond streak in the hair
verb
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painting drawing photog to mark (any brightly illuminated or prominent part of a form or figure) with light tone
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to bring notice or emphasis to
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to be the highlight of
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to produce blond streaks in (the hair) by bleaching
Usage
What does highlight mean? To highlight something is to emphasize it or make it more prominent, as in Last class, the biology teacher highlighted the material we would need to know for the test. To highlight also means to mark something on paper with a highlighter. A highlighter is a felt-tipped pen with a soft, translucent color used to mark words and images on a printed page. Many students and readers highlight passages in textbooks and other materials to help them remember the passages better. A highlight is the best or most prominent part of something. You can often watch the highlights of a sporting event or TV show online. Your study notes might be just the highlights of your teacher’s lectures, and if you keep a journal or diary, you might only record the highlights of your day. Example: I try to highlight the best members of a community in my stories.
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has highlightedperfect 3rd person singular
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have highlightedperfect
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have been highlightingperfect progressive
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has been highlightingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am highlightingprogressive 1st person singular
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is highlightingprogressive 3rd person singular
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highlightingparticiple
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highlightssingular 3rd person
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are highlightingprogressive
Past
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had highlightedperfect
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had been highlightingperfect progressive
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was highlightingprogressive singular
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highlightedparticiple
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highlightedsimple
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were highlightingprogressive plural
Future
Etymology
Origin of highlight
Explanation
If you missed the big game, don't worry — you can still catch the highlights on the news. A highlight is the most important or memorable part of something. If you don’t have time to listen to your friend’s long, involved story, you might say, "Just give me the highlights." Highlight can also mean "a lightness or a bright area." If someone puts highlights in their hair, they are adding bright streaks to their hair. When used as a verb, highlight means "to emphasize." You may want to highlight the best grades on a report card while downplaying the lesser ones.
Vocabulary lists containing highlight
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 2
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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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.
"It was the highlight of my career because I used to watch Pele, the master in his method. Just a wonderful, wonderful experience."
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
The marinated and charbroiled chicken shawarma—which Winnebago drivers can order in a party-platter size for $89.99—is a highlight.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026
The findings highlight how museum collections assembled centuries ago can continue to yield important scientific discoveries.
From Science Daily • Jun. 4, 2026
Along with a looser framing, shadow and contrast highlight loneliness and emotional ambiguity.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026
One highlight was the very silly “Lost Navigator’s Dance,” which they’d invented themselves, sure to bring laughs.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
Definitions 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.
