emphasize

verb

em·​pha·​size ˈem(p)-fə-ˌsīz 

emphasized; emphasizing

transitive verb

: to place emphasis on : stress

emphasized the need for reform

Synonyms

• accent
• accentuate
• feature
• foreground
• highlight
• illuminate
• play up
• point (up)
• press
• punctuate
• stress

Examples of emphasize in a Sentence

supermarket tabloids that emphasize sensational news stories

that huge belt buckle only emphasizes his big gut

Recent Examples on the Web

President Obama emphasized battery-electric vehicles and solar, while President Trump focused on fossil fuels. —Robert Rapier, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025

Beach emphasizes that sales solve everything, advising entrepreneurs to focus relentlessly on revenue generation before perfecting other aspects. —Nia Bowers, USA Today, 28 May 2025

Being Italian, the designers made sure to emphasize a four-season dining area adjoining the cockpit that can be left open for alfresco dining or enclosed in chillier weather. —Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 28 May 2025

In the middle of the twentieth century, understandably proud of America’s indispensable role in defeating totalitarian autocracy, historians tended to emphasize our nation’s undeniable achievements. —James T. Kloppenberg, Time, 28 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

emphas(is) + -ize

First Known Use

1793, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing emphasize

• de-emphasize
• re-emphasize

Rhymes for emphasize

• advertise
• aggrandize
• agonize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize

Kids Definition

emphasize

verb

em·​pha·​size ˈem(p)-fə-ˌsīz 

emphasized; emphasizing

: to place emphasis on : stress as being important or so as to stand out