Definition of "emphasis" in English

noun

1. Special weight or forcefulness given to something considered important.

   • He paused for emphasis before saying who had won.

2. Special attention or prominence given to something.

   • Anglia TV's emphasis is on Norwich and district.
   • Put emphasis on the advantages rather than the drawbacks.

3. Prominence given to a syllable or words, by raising the voice or printing in italic or underlined type.

   • He used a yellow highlighter to indicate where to give emphasis in his speech.

4. (phonology) The phonetic or phonological feature that distinguishes emphatic consonants from other consonants.

5. (typography) The use of boldface, italics, or other such formatting to highlight text.