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highlight

[hahy-lahyt]
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verb (used with object), high·light·ed, high·light·ing.
  1. to emphasize or make prominent.
  2. to create highlights in (a photograph or engraving).
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noun
  1. Also high light. an important, conspicuous, memorable, or enjoyable event, scene, part, or the like: the highlight of his talk; the highlight of the concert series.
  2. the area of most intense light on a represented form, as in a painting or photograph.
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Origin of highlight

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; high + light1
Related formshigh·light·er, noun

Synonyms

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1. stress, accent, underline, feature.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for highlighting

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • There's highlighting and emphasizing selected perceptics and such.

    The Premiere

    Richard Sabia

  • And it took some highlighting and sidelighting with the use of a spotlight to actually make those things discernible at all.

    Warren Commission (4 of 26): Hearings Vol. IV (of 15)

    The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy

British Dictionary definitions for highlighting

highlight

noun
  1. an area of the lightest tone in a painting, drawing, photograph, etc
  2. the most exciting or memorable part of an event or period of time
  3. (often plural) a bleached blond streak in the hair
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verb (tr)
  1. painting drawing photog to mark (any brightly illuminated or prominent part of a form or figure) with light tone
  2. to bring notice or emphasis to
  3. to be the highlight of
  4. to produce blond streaks in (the hair) by bleaching
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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

Word Origin and History for highlighting

highlight

n.

1650s, originally of paintings, "the brightest part of a subject," from high (adj.) + light (n.). The figurative sense of "outstanding feature or characteristic" is from 1855. The verb is from 1861. Hairdressing sense is 1941 (n.), 1942 (v.). Related: Highlighted; highlighting.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper