emphasize
Americanverb (used with object)
-
emphasizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
emphasized,
past participle, past
-
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
-
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
-
have been emphasizingperfect progressive
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has been emphasizingperfect progressive
Past
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emphasizedsimple
-
had emphasizedperfect
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was emphasizingprogressive
-
were emphasizingprogressive
-
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:
Despite the enormous numbers, the researchers emphasize that the carbon dioxide produced by human metabolism is fundamentally different from the emissions generated by burning fossil fuels.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 7, 2026
He cites art collective-turned-experiential firm Meow Wolf as an inspiration, only Sanctuary would have a more linear narrative that would emphasize game-inspired socializing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Despite the promising results, astronomers emphasize that additional observations are necessary to confirm the connection between Siwarha's orbit and the atmospheric distortions.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026
Both Golomb and Lang emphasize that what their companies are creating isn’t a chocolate substitute.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Why in heaven's name did you yell "Wake up"? The writer chose to emphasize the question, not the exclamation.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
Instead of treating emotional tone as the primary organizing principle, the new framework emphasizes distinctions related to strength, safety, and predictability.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
Ms. Acton emphasizes healthcare costs, school funding, rising electric bills and labor unions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
One possibility involves the Mediterranean-style diet, which emphasizes foods such as fish, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and olive oil.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
He emphasizes that his coaching staff, which is also deeply rooted in the community, understands the realities of their players’ lives.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026
Two cultures: one emphasizes the difference between Evidence-Indices and Evidence-Perspicuity; the other minimizes it.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Yet throughout this expansion into other markets, Barros always emphasized that “adapting doesn’t mean ceasing to be who we are.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
He emphasized the importance of getting back to basics.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
Just a few weeks ago, Talarico’s campaign met with local Muslim officials and community members in Dallas, where he emphasized a bill he filed that would include Muslim imams as legally recognized marriage officiants.
From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026
However, the researchers emphasized that substantially fewer observations were available for the 10-year period and beyond, making those longer-term predictions less certain.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026
I learned later that Dr. Luce had emphasized the medical risk in letting my condition go untreated.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
This is a war film in style and substance, emphasizing the mental exhaustion of a country that cannot handle any more carnage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
In the district covering part of the Tucson area, Democrat JoAnna Mendoza is campaigning on the issue of affordability, emphasizing that she grew up in a family that relied on food stamps.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
But by emphasizing Wilson’s populism, he risks understating or even sidestepping other crucial parts of Wilson’s life and mind.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
She encourages members of her laboratory to be "calculated risk-takers," emphasizing that meaningful discoveries often require scientists to investigate possibilities that may initially seem unlikely.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
I did my best Mr. Neely impression, clasping my hands together while making my eyes go big and emphasizing Every.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
