Emphasizes

Emphasizes is the third-person singular present tense of the verb emphasize. It means to give something special importance or prominence, to stress or highlight an idea, point, or feature. It is transitive, typically taking a direct object, as in “The report emphasizes the need for reform.”

Origin and meaning are tied to the noun emphasis, which derives from Greek roots and entered English through Latin and French. The core sense involves presenting or displaying something clearly, with the prefix em- contributing a sense of putting into or onto a position of prominence. Over time, emphasize took on a broad range of uses in writing and speech.

Spelling and variants: In American English, the base form is emphasize and the third-person singular is emphasizes; in British English, the corresponding forms are emphasise and emphasises. The past tense and present participle follow a similar British-American pattern: emphasized/emphasised and emphasizing/emphasising.

Usage and contexts: In writing, to emphasize a point is to draw attention to it, often by rephrasing, repeating, or placing it in a prominent position within a sentence. In speech, emphasis is conveyed through increased volume, intonation, or stress on a syllable or word. In typography and digital text, emphasis can be indicated with italics, bold, or underlining, and in HTML with the <em> element, which signals emphasis and typically renders as italics.

See also: emphasis, emphatic, underscore.