highlighter

[ hahy-lahy-ter ]

/ ˈhaɪˌlaɪ tər /

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noun

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

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.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of highlighter

First recorded in 1965–70; highlight + -er¹

Words nearby highlighter

high-level, high-level language, high-level waste, highlife, highlight, highlighter, highlighting, highline, high liver, high-low, high-low-jack

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use highlighter in a sentence

Red Hen adds a 20 percent gratuity to the bill — then flags it with a highlighter for transparency.
2021 Fall Dining Guide|Tom Sietsema|October 6, 2021|Washington Post
He identified one suitable hue in a derivative of the ink in pink highlighters.
The Brilliant 10: The most innovative up-and-coming minds in science|Bill Gourgey|September 20, 2021|Popular-Science
Over the July 4 weekend, Audrey pored over their plea deals with a highlighter to understand what it might mean for her husband.
Inside One Combat Vet's Journey From Defending His Country to Storming the Capitol|W.J. Hennigan/Washington|July 9, 2021|Time
Rising from his seat, Derkach uncapped a highlighter and began to draw schematics on a whiteboard, an indecipherable pattern of squiggles and numbers.
Exclusive: How an Accused Russian Agent Worked With Rudy Giuliani in a Plot Against the 2020 Election|Simon Shuster/Kyiv|May 28, 2021|TIme

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Covid-19 has been a great highlighter of inequality.
The best ways to help poor countries get better access to Covid-19 treatments|Annalisa Merelli|February 18, 2021|Quartz
She is about to get pages 196 and 197, torn from People and heavily marked with a highlighter pen, shoved under her door.
Welcome to Showbiz Sharia Law|P. J. O’Rourke|May 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Later Hudgens and Benson wear the same highlighter-yellow two-piece.
The Secrets Behind the Bikinis of Harmony Korine’s New Film, ‘Spring Breakers’|Misty White Sidell|March 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Uncap your highlighter, however, when you see the word “Yellowstone” or “father,” or “cancer.”
Clues for Finding Forrest Fenn’s Buried Treasure, Part 2|Tony Doukopil|March 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for highlighter

highlighter

/ (ˈhaɪˌlaɪtə) /

noun

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

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012