emphasis
noun
em·pha·sis
ˈem(p)-fə-səs 
plural emphases
ˈem(p)-fə-ˌsēz
1
a
: force or intensity of expression that gives impressiveness or importance to something
b
: a particular prominence given in reading or speaking to one or more words or syllables
2
: special consideration of or stress or insistence on something
Examples of emphasis in a Sentence
Our candidate's plan has a different emphasis.
a prep school with a long-established emphasis on sports
Recent Examples on the Web
Those group sessions — with their emphasis on healthy ways to express emotions and relationship building — are key, especially for students who are in a new environment, speaking a new language.
—
Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 20 Nov. 2024
Pentagon watchers are getting more detail about the high-stakes, hush-hush Replicator project and its growing emphasis on assembly line prowess — not just fancy blueprints.
—Colin Demarest, Axios, 20 Nov. 2024
Blood quantum, with its mathematical fussiness and emphasis on purity, bears little relationship to many tribes’ pre-contact approaches to belonging, which tended to be based on a looser approach to kinship.
—Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2024
The wine program at Mother Wolf stocks more than 400 labels, focusing on Italy’s Piedmont, Tuscany and Sardinia, with multi-generational family producers and emerging estates and an emphasis on organic and sustainable practices.
—Melinda Sheckells, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for emphasis 
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Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 20 Nov. 2024
Pentagon watchers are getting more detail about the high-stakes, hush-hush Replicator project and its growing emphasis on assembly line prowess — not just fancy blueprints.
—Colin Demarest, Axios, 20 Nov. 2024
Blood quantum, with its mathematical fussiness and emphasis on purity, bears little relationship to many tribes’ pre-contact approaches to belonging, which tended to be based on a looser approach to kinship.
—Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2024
The wine program at Mother Wolf stocks more than 400 labels, focusing on Italy’s Piedmont, Tuscany and Sardinia, with multi-generational family producers and emerging estates and an emphasis on organic and sustainable practices.
—Melinda Sheckells, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for emphasis
Dictionary Entries Near emphasis
Cite this Entry
“Emphasis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emphasis. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
emphasis
noun
em·pha·sis
ˈem(p)-fə-səs
plural emphases
-fə-ˌsēz
1
a
: forcefulness of expression
spoke with emphasis
b
: the act or fact of giving stress to a word or syllable when speaking
2
: special attention or importance given to something
put great emphasis on cleanliness
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