emphasize
v.to give special importance or attention to something. You use this when you want to make sure people notice a specific point or idea.
v.to give special importance or prominence to something in speaking or writing. Transitive — requires a direct object.
“The teacher used a red pen to emphasize the main points.”
“During the job interview, you should emphasize your previous experience to show you are the right candidate.”
“The report seeks to emphasize the correlation between early childhood education and long-term economic stability, urging policymakers to increase funding for local preschool programs.”
The verb is transitive and takes a direct object. It is often followed by a noun phrase or a 'that' clause.
Emphasize is a transitive verb and does not take the preposition 'on'. Learners often confuse it with the noun 'emphasis', which does take 'on'.
Usage emphasizing the need · emphasise aspect · emphasise difference
“O'Callaghan said it was important to emphasise that social media companies "have a big responsibility in respect of this".”
“Gordon also emphasizes that there are other evidence-based treatments for people seeking PMDD relief – more on this below.”
Common in science writing
Latin, from Ancient Greek – see emphasis.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.