highlighter

American  

[hahy-lahy-ter] / ˈhaɪˌlaɪ tər /

noun

• highlighters
  plural

1. a felt-tip pen with a wide nib for highlighting passages of printed material in a soft, transparent color.

2. a cosmetic powder or cream applied to the face in places where light would naturally hit, as the cheeks, forehead, chin, and center of the nose, to create a glowing effect.

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highlighter British  

/ ˈhaɪˌlaɪtə /

noun

1. a cosmetic cream or powder applied to the face to highlight the cheekbones, eyes, etc

2. a fluorescent felt-tip pen used as a marker to emphasize a section of text without obscuring it

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• highlighters
  plural

Etymology

Origin of highlighter

First recorded in 1965–70; highlight + -er ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

highlighter highlighters

“They’ve had a curated set of items that they’ve gone after, so whether that be in blushes or in lips or in highlighter or bronzing categories, they’re seeing strength across the board,” Fields said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

I grabbed a highlighter from the bottom of my bag and began sketching a little illustration of the soup, coloring in the carrot chunks with bright orange.

From Salon ● Apr. 10, 2025

Santos recommends an Estée Lauder foundation and for Gaetz to avoid highlighter altogether.

From Slate ● Jan. 12, 2025

The out-of-office is on, the mulled wine is mulling, and the highlighter pen is out as families look ahead to the best of this year's Christmas TV.

From BBC ● Dec. 23, 2024

I’m up before my sisters and in the middle of my book, a highlighter and pencil in hand, just like Papi taught me.

From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi

All we lost out on were some Royal Caribbean highlighters, anyway.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026

I wandered next door into the exhibit hall, where rows of tables were strapped with plastic banners and heaped with leaflets, mints, lens cleaners, highlighters, and tote bags.

From Slate ● Jan. 13, 2026

To get a sense of whether you’re spending your money meaningfully, Agnew suggests we review monthly spending with highlighters in three different colors.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 21, 2025

Jenner swiftly expanded her brand’s reach, introducing an eye shadow palette in 2016, highlighters in 2017 and so on.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2023

I lift a box of highlighters, all shaped like boiled eggs.

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman