emphasize
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of emphasize
First recorded in 1820–30; emphas(is) + -ize
Explanation
To emphasize is to make something important, or stress it, like when you were little and your parents would always emphasize the importance of looking both ways before crossing the street. They told you again and again and again. And again. The verb emphasize works when you really want to stress a point or give extra weight to an issue. Emphasize comes from words that mean “significance” and “to present or show.” A player who finally makes the varsity team might emphasize this achievement by always wearing his practice jersey — even off the field, or you might emphasize the importance of being on time by locking the door on latecomers.
Vocabulary lists containing emphasize
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 2
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1
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Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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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.
Yet the celebrations, the authors note, tended to emphasize technological advancements and industrial progress rather than social struggles.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
Under the new leadership of CEO Ravi Ahuja, Sony Pictures Entertainment will emphasize franchises and next-gen content.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
Reviews of apical periodontitis emphasize how frequently these infections go unnoticed.
From Science Daily • May 16, 2026
Under the new term PMOS, clinicians aim to emphasize the condition’s metabolic dimension, including its links to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes risk and cardiovascular health.
From Salon • May 16, 2026
As if to emphasize the tenuousness of Levi Saunders’ existence, he became violently ill the day following his bar mitzvah and was taken by ambulance to the Brooklyn Memorial Hospital.
From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok
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.
