highlight

[hahy-lahyt]

verb (used with object)

highlighted, highlighting 

1. to emphasize or make prominent.

   The lawsuit against the landlord highlighted the need for a stricter building code.

   Synonyms: feature, underline, accent, stress

2. 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.

3. to create highlights in (a photograph or engraving).

4. to dye (parts of the hair) lighter.

5. 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

1. 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.

2. the area of most intense light on a represented form, as in a painting or photograph.

3. Usually highlights a section of hair that has been dyed lighter.

highlight

/ ˈhaɪˌlaɪt /

noun

1. an area of the lightest tone in a painting, drawing, photograph, etc

2. the most exciting or memorable part of an event or period of time

3. (often plural) a bleached blond streak in the hair

verb

1. painting drawing photog to mark (any brightly illuminated or prominent part of a form or figure) with light tone

2. to bring notice or emphasis to

3. to be the highlight of

4. to produce blond streaks in (the hair) by bleaching

Word History and Origins

Origin of highlight¹

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; high + light ¹

Example Sentences

These findings highlight the potential of "precision nutrition," an approach that adapts diets and interventions to fit a person's unique biology.

Read more on Science Daily

The fact he's back now highlights the importance they are giving to the impact the pandemic had on children and the lessons that need to be learned.

Read more on BBC

Many of the data centers were built solely for Anthropic, as Amazon is expected to be Anthropic’s primary cloud partner, Jefferies analyst Brent Thill highlighted.

Read more on MarketWatch

The Fifth Circuit ruling highlighted how broadly some judges are interpreting a 2022 Supreme Court decision that significantly expanded gun rights.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He adds that Huntington Ingalls’ adoption of additive-manufacturing technology highlights a focus on reducing lead times and waste, which is a positive signal for the whole sector.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• accent 
• accentuate 
• emphasize 
• feature 
• play up 
• point out 
• stress 

When To Use

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.