highlight
Americanverb (used with object)
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highlights,
present (3rd person singular)
-
highlighted,
past participle, past
-
highlighting
present participle
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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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highlights
plural
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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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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highlightsimple
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highlightssimple
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have highlightedperfect
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has highlightedperfect
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am highlightingprogressive
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are highlightingprogressive
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is highlightingprogressive
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have been highlightingperfect progressive
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has been highlightingperfect progressive
Past
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highlightedsimple
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had highlightedperfect
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was highlightingprogressive
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were highlightingprogressive
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had been highlightingperfect progressive
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.
See Examples For:
The highlight of Rubio's visit is set to be his address from the Pnyx, a hill near the Acropolis that is the parliamentary assembly of ancient Athenian democracy.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
The Ayrshire-based former Walker Cup player finished joint 52nd at The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool in 2023 but described his performance at Kingsbarns, Carnoustie and St Andrews this week as a career highlight.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
It is selling more directly to consumers, allowing it to highlight its most on-trend styles—and show off other items to go with it—rather than rely on other retailers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
But Newsom did highlight the environment in his final bill signing of the session, which he announced at the top of the Golden Gate Bridge on Wednesday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
But my older brother was on television, and so far, it has been the highlight of my two weeks in high school.
From "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky
Following the reception, a free ticketed fan celebration was held at WX on Union Street with player appearances, speeches and highlights from the Grand Final on big screens.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
The conflict highlights an emerging debate about synthetic scents: Many hotels use them, but some sensitive guests consider those aromas as welcome as secondhand smoke.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Like Sclafani, Ugwu-Dike also highlights the muscle with body oil or moisturizer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Nvidia stock is within touching distance of a record high as it highlights the usable life of its chips in a rebuttal to Michael Burry.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
This highlights yet another payoff of the passive voice: it can unburden memory by shortening the interval between a filler and a gap.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
The U.S. release ended up with an altered track listing that highlighted the group’s folkier leanings; Joni Mitchell wore the grooves out on her copy and slipped “Norwegian Wood” into her coffeehouse sets in Detroit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Groppo highlighted the enthusiasm among a new male audience for Chanel ready-to-wear, including "loafers, trainers, blazers and bags".
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
And that highlighted the younger man's importance as a leader within the squad.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
A portion of the study focused specifically on ME/CFS and highlighted LAG3 as one gene worthy of further investigation.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
Our map has the streets to the right of our building highlighted, so we walk to the right, which is also toward the park.
From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks
Luna rebutted the claim by highlighting the key role his department played in the multiagency law enforcement effort to keep people safe at the World Cup this year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Organizers said hundreds of names were on a waiting list for the event, highlighting the industry buzz around Venezuela's oil sector re-opening after years of state control.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
Many of them have been kicking the tires on the AI trade for years now, highlighting potential risks that could someday metastasize into bigger problems for the market.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
Across their opening five matches, Chelsea averaged 51.4% possession when level, 34.5% when ahead and 67.2% when behind - highlighting how much their possession has varied with the score.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
The selective highlighting endows the lifesize figure of David and the gruesome head with a startling presence.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
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.
