emphasize

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verb em·pha·size \ ˈem(p)-fə-ˌsīz \

Definition of emphasize

emphasized; emphasizing

transitive verb

:to place emphasis on :stress

emphasized the need for reform

See emphasize defined for English-language learners

See emphasize defined for kids

Examples of emphasize in a Sentence

supermarket tabloids that emphasize sensational news stories
that huge belt buckle only emphasizes his big gut

Recent Examples of emphasize from the Web

Again and again, Moscoso emphasized the importance of communication during an emergency.

— rebecca mcbane, South Florida Parenting, "Don't Wait for the Storm: The most important step in a Family Emergency Plan is to make one," 30 Aug. 2017
Vice President Mike Pence and officials from the Department of Homeland Security have taken the lead in negotiating many of the details of the federal response to Harvey, but Mr. Trump has made a point of emphasizing his involvement in the crisis.

— glenn thrush, New York Times, "Trump, in Texas, Calls Harvey Recovery Response Effort a ‘Real Team’," 29 Aug. 2017
Though everyone at the panel hastened to emphasize their clear differences—

— emma dibdin, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story: Everything We Know So Far," 15 Aug. 2017
The NFHS has consistently emphasized that its state membership organizations are doing their due diligence to reduce the risk of injury among student athletes.

— linda flanagan, The Atlantic, "How Students' Brains Are in Danger on the Field," 14 Aug. 2017
The coverage emphasized that the product at the time was present in 70 percent of the ground beef sold in supermarkets, but wasn’t labeled.

— james nord, The Seattle Times, "Attorney: Settlement of lawsuit against ABC exceeds $177M," 9 Aug. 2017
Individualism is a cultural system that emphasizes the self more and social rules less.

— madeleine aggeler, The Cut, "New Study Finds Modern Writers Are a Bunch of Potty Mouths," 8 Aug. 2017
Instead, Churchill instructed Roger Keyes to emphasize to Leopold the importance of his troops remaining in the field.

— Longreads, "Whose Fault Was Dunkirk?," 7 Aug. 2017
But more recent messages have emphasized simpler methods.

— joby warrick, Washington Post, "A battered ISIS grows ever more dependent on ‘lone wolves,’ simple plans," 20 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'emphasize.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of emphasize

1793

emphasize Synonyms

Synonyms

accent, accentuate, feature, foreground, highlight, illuminate, play up, point (up), press, punctuate, stress, bear down on, make much of

Antonyms

de-emphasize, play down

Related Words

focus, identify, pinpoint, spotlight; advertise, boost, plug, promote, publicize; overplay

Near Antonyms

tone (down), underemphasize, understate; belittle, discount, disparage, minimize

EMPHASIZE Defined for English Language Learners

emphasize

play

verb

Definition of emphasize for English Language Learners

: to give special attention to (something) : to place emphasis on (something)

EMPHASIZE Defined for Kids

emphasize

play

verb em·pha·size \ ˈem-fə-ˌsīz \

Definition of emphasize for Students

emphasized; emphasizing

:to give special attention or importance to

He emphasized the word “maybe.”

Learn More about emphasize

See words that rhyme with emphasize Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for emphasize Spanish Central: Translation of emphasize Nglish: Translation of emphasize for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of emphasize for Arabic speakers

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emphasize Synonyms

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EMPHASIZE Defined for English Language Learners

emphasize

Definition of emphasize for English Language Learners

EMPHASIZE Defined for Kids

emphasize

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