emphasize
Americanverb (used with object)
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emphasizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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emphasized,
past participle, past
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emphasizing
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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hyperemphasizeverb (used with object)
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misemphasizeverb (used with object)
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reemphasizeverb (used with object)
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superemphasizeverb (used with object)
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unemphasizingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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emphasizesimple
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emphasizessimple
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have emphasizedperfect
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has emphasizedperfect
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am emphasizingprogressive
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are emphasizingprogressive
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is emphasizingprogressive
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have been emphasizingperfect progressive
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has been emphasizingperfect progressive
Past
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emphasizedsimple
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had emphasizedperfect
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was emphasizingprogressive
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were emphasizingprogressive
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had been emphasizingperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
He continues by "mewing," a TikTok trend where people suck in their cheeks and point a finger at their jawline to emphasize their chiseled features.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
While General Intuition and other startups emphasize their capabilities in robotics, potential investors and business partners are asking another question: How can world models enhance the abilities of today’s language-based models?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Then cinematographers Evan Draper and Jazleana Jones along with Ullom, who also edits, take a steadier hand with evocative montages that emphasize the passage of time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
The researchers emphasize that the importance of the engravings goes beyond whatever meaning the individual markings may once have carried.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026
When it was lit and a thread of smoke was curling up from the bowl, he used the pipe to emphasize what he said, drawing little designs, like Chinese writing, in the air.
From "The Cricket in Times Square" by George Selden
The title track, which emphasizes the rapper’s new level of stardom, is anchored by a gleaming flip of Linda Clifford’s “Never Gonna Stop,” just four notes circling in a bewitching loop.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Weight-loss advice often emphasizes calorie restriction and smaller portions.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
The diet emphasizes fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, nuts, and olive oil — and limiting foods like red meat, cheese and sugar.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 16, 2026
Talarico’s campaign emphasizes the need to get the government out of private personal decisions, and the Democrat advocates for a version of Christianity that accepts all people as made in God’s image.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
Gardullo emphasizes that it’s the sand that has protected the artifacts “‘that would have otherwise been lost to history.’”
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
Merrill emphasized it’s important to communicate that “in-person care is restricted,” but that people are still accessing pills by mail.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
Ken Billington’s lighting and Constance Hoffman’s costumes, which featured swirling flared skirts in different candy-colored plaids for the female chorus, added to the effect, as did Ms. Zambello’s direction, which emphasized thrust rather than sweetness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
The plan hasn’t seemed to change under current CEO Josh D’Amaro, who managed the Epic Games partnership in his previous role as parks chief and has emphasized the importance of technology in his new position.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Those windows also help to blur the lines between the indoors and out—giving the property a natural feel that is further emphasized by the use of wood throughout the design.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
“Of course,” emphasized the bug, “much too difficult.”
From "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster
He also monetized Apple’s installed base through services such as Apple Pay, Apple Music and other offerings while emphasizing user privacy.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
Hanging from the rafters, the tip of its blade points down ominously over viewers’ heads, emphasizing both the danger of the weapon and its fragility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
The appointments came with aggressive goals that included tightening the military chain of command, turning an ideological militia into a neighborhood intelligence agency and emphasizing an offensive approach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Instead, genetic studies of archaeological remains from Europe and the Americas have uncovered evidence of multiple treponemal diseases in ancient populations, emphasizing how complex the evolutionary history of these pathogens may be.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026
Archie asked, turning the screw, emphasizing the singular of himself and not the plural of The Vigils.
From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier
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.
