highlight
Americanverb (used with object)
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highlights,
present (3rd person singular)
-
highlighted,
past participle, past
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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
-
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 Wiener campaign described it as “the world’s first AI trained to say no to anything you ask,” intending to highlight her record on housing, transit, and other issues.
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2026
At this month’s meeting, the Riksbank could highlight Sweden’s growth resilience and the risk of inflation settling above target, J.P.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
The Department of Transportation proposed new regulations last month that would allow airlines to highlight fares without individual components such as taxes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
The company said monitoring the bat boxes at the site helped confirm the conservation measures were working and could highlight "unexpected and valuable" results, like the Nathusius' pipistrelle.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Of course, as far as the little kids were concerned, the highlight of the whole party was not the birthday boy, Piper McNab, but the McNab’s new pillbox.
From "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli
Monday’s court filing highlights Ellison’s frustrations and the financial pressures that deal delays will bring the media company.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
It also highlights the value of using large comparative datasets to revisit theories that have remained influential for decades.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026
Small highlights include being featured in a Reese Witherspoon carousel and Ashley Tisdale French gardening video on Instagram, the latter containing their other hit, “Aces.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
The old Mississippi case that was included in the fraud division’s highlights featured more than 30 defendants accused of participating in a scheme to fraudulently obtain pandemic relief loans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
He said that he was giving me only the highlights, because he felt that his carefully kept diary might be turned into another book.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Brown, a former member of the UK military, said the Fleadh highlighted how much Northern Ireland has changed over the past few decades.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Birkenstock CEO Oliver Reichert highlighted the trend during the sandal and clog maker’s quarterly earnings call on Thursday.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
Others highlighted the vulnerability of a man who had been diagnosed with autism.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
Researchers also highlighted the role that online information may be playing.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026
She was a pretty Asian woman with red highlighted hair tied in a bun.
From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan
As diplomacy stalls between the decades-long foes, attacks in the Hormuz strait have continued, highlighting the continued risks to regional shipping.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
He had 30 shots on goal and made 30 key passes, highlighting his routes to points.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Meanwhile, an auction of 30-year Treasurys on Thursday resulted in the highest yield since 2001, highlighting U.S. fiscal concerns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
At first glance, this news might sound encouraging after years of headlines highlighting the reverse trend, that life expectancy was falling.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
I walk to the closest barrel next to an empty pod, its orange flashing button highlighting Fu, Jie Ru over and over.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
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.
