Library / English Dictionary

HIGHLIGHT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

An area of lightness in a picture

Synonyms:

highlight; highlighting

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("highlight" is a kind of...):

light; lightness (the visual effect of illumination on objects or scenes as created in pictures)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The most interesting or memorable part

Example:

the highlight of the tour was our visit to the Vatican

Synonyms:

high spot; highlight

Classified under:

Nouns denoting relations between people or things or ideas

Hypernyms ("highlight" is a kind of...):

detail; item; particular (a small part that can be considered separately from the whole)

Derivation:

highlight (move into the foreground to make more visible or prominent)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Apply a highlighter to one's cheeks or eyebrows in order to make them more prominent

Example:

highlight the area above your eyebrows

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Hypernyms (to "highlight" is one way to...):

make up (apply make-up or cosmetics to one's face to appear prettier)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

highlighter (a cosmetic used to highlight the eyes or cheekbones)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Move into the foreground to make more visible or prominent

Example:

The introduction highlighted the speaker's distinguished career in linguistics

Synonyms:

foreground; highlight; play up; spotlight

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "highlight" is one way to...):

bring out; set off (direct attention to, as if by means of contrast)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

highlight (the most interesting or memorable part)

highlighter (a fluorescent marker used to mark important passages in a text)

highlighter (a cosmetic used to highlight the eyes or cheekbones)

highlighting (an area of lightness in a picture)

Credits

 Context examples: 

To highlight changes in the auroras Hubble is observing Jupiter almost daily for several months.

(Hubble Captures Vivid Auroras in Jupiter’s Atmosphere, NASA)

These findings highlight the need to understand effects of screen time on the brain, particularly during stages of dynamic brain development in early childhood.

(Too Much Screen Time Changes Structure of Toddlers' Brains, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The findings highlight how immunotherapies that treat inflammatory conditions might play a role in the reduction of cardiovascular disease risks.

(Study links psoriasis treatment and improvement in heart artery disease, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The difficult new moon of last month, October 27, was in Scorpio, highlighting a work project which may have hit a jarring curve.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

For example, in addition to highlighting potential side-effects, findings of the study can further aid drug development through novel insights on protein targets of new and existing drugs.

(Scientists create ‘genetic atlas’ of proteins in human blood, University of Cambridge)

Located in the Peruvian Andes, Ubinas has shown signs of an impending eruption since the mid-2013, highlighted by the appearance of a fresh lava dome in March 2014.

(Fresh lava arrives at Ubinas volcano, NASA)

The findings from this study highlight the value of using museum collections and molecular techniques to help understand historical patterns of human behavior.

(Extinction of Icelandic walrus coincides with Norse settlement, National Science Foundation)

The results highlight the critically important role rest may play in learning.

(Brains may use short rest periods to strengthen memories, National Institutes of Health)

“This highlights a third factor at play here – the obesity epidemic – and helps bring that risk to light when considering individual susceptibility to asthma.”

(Vitamin D may protect against pollution-associated asthma symptoms in obese children, National Institutes of Health)

The findings from this study highlight the relevance of energetics for ensuring normal brain function and reveal how it is disrupted by excessive alcohol consumption.

(Study of brain energy patterns provides new insights into alcohol effects, National Institutes of Health)