highlight
Americanverb (used with object)
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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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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:
Ma’s pop-up show in Southeast Los Angeles was part of his ongoing efforts to highlight people’s relationship to nature through music.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Reeves however, would not acknowledge this had been a specific problem, and was eager to highlight the progress she believed the economy has made on her watch.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
The findings also highlight the potential value of exploring biodiversity as a source of future medical treatments, offering the possibility of new therapeutic options for patients with cancers that are difficult to treat.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026
What’s most depressing about all these stories is that they pointedly highlight the problem with contemporary American media.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
“So, what if we highlight all the examples?”
From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden
Watching highlights of him from 1958, Fontaine looks like he would thrive in the modern day.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
She highlights three easy-to-overlook issues that can sway your stay-or-go decision:
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 12, 2026
The dispute highlights a longstanding conflict between government secrecy and the public’s right to know.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
According to the researchers, the study highlights how strongly diet influences the entire gut ecosystem, from parasites and microbes to the immune system itself.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026
That hair was jet black, so black that it didn’t even have lighter highlights, and electric with curls spilling over her shoulders.
From "The Devil's Arithmetic" by Jane Yolen
The history of the Jews of Jedwabne resurfaced in 2001, when Polish-American historian Jan T. Gross highlighted the role of Polish villagers in his book "Neighbors".
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Jolene Almendarez wrote a story that mostly highlighted how the facility draws religious tourists to northern Kentucky.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
A paper he co-wrote, presented at the Kansas City Fed’s 2022 Jackson Hole symposium, highlighted how the process doesn’t run cleanly in reverse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Lively has said the case highlighted respectful treatment on set.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Angela had compiled a series of Nicole’s journal entries with lines highlighted here and there.
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
Trump responded to the broader conversation about age and fitness by highlighting his own health.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
Demand for the offering was reportedly over seven times more than the number of shares available, highlighting the strong investor appetite for a key company in the AI supply chain.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
A mariachi played, highlighting the loss of gigs for local musicians, with backyard parties on hold amid the stench that still hangs over the area.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
She also does a nice job of highlighting the extensive implications of this decision for our government.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
She’s wearing a new glittery scarf, and it’s pulled back near her ears, highlighting long pendant earrings.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
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.
