highlight

1 of 2

noun

high·​light ˈhī-ˌlīt How to pronounce highlight (audio)
plural highlights
1
a
: something (such as an event or detail) that is of major significance or special interest
Visiting the Alps was a highlight of their trip to Europe.
b
: a summary of the most significant or interesting parts of something (such as a completed sporting event) presented typically on a television broadcast
usually plural
watched highlights of the night's games
2
: a spot or area that is lighter than surrounding spots or areas: such as
a
: the lightest part or one of the lightest parts of a painting, drawing, etc.
especially : one that depicts the areas of the subject receiving the greatest amount of illumination
added highlights to the painting
used white pencil for the highlights and charcoal for the shadows
b
: a lighter area of the hair
specifically : such an area created artificially (as through the application of chemical substances)
usually plural
brown hair with blond highlights

highlight

2 of 2

verb

highlighted; highlighting; highlights

transitive verb

1
: to throw a strong light on
The moon highlighted the tree tops.
Outdoor lighting is an important part of any garden design, providing ambiance and highlighting key features like plants, water features, and walkways.East End Taste Magazine (online)
2
a
: to center attention on : emphasize, stress
The speech will highlight the need for education reform.
b
: to constitute a significant or especially interesting part of : to constitute a highlight of
His trip to Italy was highlighted by a visit to the Colosseum.
The defending champion Bulldogs won three events, highlighted by Kowal's record in the 100-meter breaststroke …Harvey Araton
3
a
: to mark (text) with or as if with a highlighter (see highlighter sense 2)
Encourage them to keep a journal and to highlight important entries.Jessica Schrader
Whenever this pattern reversed itself, the numbers in Table 2 were highlighted in bold print.LuAnn Soliah et al.
b
: to cause (something, such as text or an icon) to be displayed in a way that stands out on an electronic screen (as of a computer or smartphone)
highlighted the sentence and deleted it
By clicking on highlighted words, called hot links, you're instantly taken to other Internet sites that offer additional or related information.Victoria Von Biel
4
: to add highlights (see highlight entry 1 sense 2b) to (hair)
Jonathan, old enough now that he no longer lets his mom highlight his thick brown hair, plays guitar and likes to shoot hoops with his dad …Patrick Rogers, et al.
To add drama to her already highlighted hair, Beyoncé has fine, platinum highlights temporarily bonded to the strands around her face.Barb Sgroi

Examples of highlight in a Sentence

Noun I missed the game, but I saw the highlights on the evening news. Verb Unfortunately, the media insisted upon highlighting his troubled past. Our trip was highlighted by a great jazz concert we attended. The students highlighted important vocabulary words in their textbooks. Important names and dates in each chapter are highlighted.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
New series featuring Fifty Shades of Grey heartthrob Jamie Dornan as identical twins and Julie Delpy as the French president are among the highlights of Netflix‘s new British series slate, which the streamer unveiled at an event in London on Thursday. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024 The Hard Rock Stage and the Good Molecules Reverb Stage have an emphasis on artists that are newer and/or on the fringes of making a chart impact, with highlights including Reyna Roberts, Fancy Hagood, Annie Bosko, Kelsey Waldon and Walker County. Chris Willman, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024 Burying one big shot after another, Andrews finished with a career-high 31 points while adding to his late-season haul of highlights. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 And The Night had plenty of other highlight moments like when John Cena presented an award in the nude. Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2024 Munk grew up on a farm in Randers, Jutland, 3½ hours outside Copenhagen, where the food highlight of his youth was a weekly visit to McDonald’s. Charlotte Lytton, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024 With foil in her hair and highlights underway, Paltrow watched as Ke Huy Quan announced Downey's win, and then immediately cheered him on. Shania Russell, EW.com, 11 Mar. 2024 Among the highlights, attendees can expect a tribute to Evel Knievel featuring three of his iconic daredevil vehicles. Brendel Hightower, Detroit Free Press, 1 Mar. 2024 Users can ask Copilot to tailor summaries to their liking, such as only including key points or highlights from a specific section. Amrita Khalid, The Verge, 1 Mar. 2024
Verb
The map now shows in detail the expansion or regression of tiger territories, and exactly where has been surveyed when, instantly highlighting data gaps. Rebecca Cairns, CNN, 15 Mar. 2024 While securing more business with United would be a win for Airbus, the relatively small number of aircraft involved also highlights the limits to freeing up capacity in a hot market. Siddharth Philip, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2024 Daily Our flagship newsletter highlights the best of The New Yorker, including top stories, fiction, humor, and podcasts. Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2024 To celebrate the international sporting event, the French capital is highlighting the Olympics’ cultural impact in a variety of ways. Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024 The population loss highlights the challenges New York still faces roughly four years after the Covid-19 pandemic first paralyzed America’s largest city, killing thousands of residents and spurring many to flee to the suburbs or other states. Laura Nahmias, Bloomberg.com, 14 Mar. 2024 The quick-turnaround video editors at SXSW cut a daily sizzle reel highlighting previous panels, premieres and other events, which then runs before festival screenings. Michael Schneider, Variety, 13 Mar. 2024 The unit has issued decks of playing cards, each set featuring 52 unsolved murders to highlight long-standing cold cases. Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 13 Mar. 2024 This starts off as a movie made to highlight those who make the movies, purposefully tipping the baseball cap at the talents who take the hits yet rarely get the credits. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'highlight.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1658, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1881, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of highlight was in 1658

Dictionary Entries Near highlight

Cite this Entry

“Highlight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/highlight. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

highlight

1 of 2 noun
high·​light ˈhī-ˌlīt How to pronounce highlight (audio)
1
: the brightest spot or area (as in a painting or drawing)
2
: something (as an event or detail) that is of major interest

highlight

2 of 2 verb
highlighted; highlighting
1
: to throw a strong light on
2
a
: to center attention on : emphasize
b
: to be a highlight of
3
a
: to mark (text) with a highlighter pen
b
: to cause (as text) to stand out on a computer screen

More from Merriam-Webster on highlight

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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