► emphasize AWL to say or show that something is important:
My teacher emphasized the importance of grammar.Scientists emphasized that more research needs to be done.► stress AWL stress means the same as emphasize but is slightly more informal:
I want to stress that there is no right or wrong answer here - we want students to think of new ideas.► highlight AWL to show that something is especially important so that people notice it compared to other things:
Your résumé should highlight your skills and experience.➔ You also use highlight to talk about marking words on paper or on a computer using a color that is easy to see: As I was reading, I highlighted the important parts of the paragraph.► underline (formal) to help to show clearly that a fact is true, especially a fact that is already known:
The report on children's weight underlines the need for more P.E. in schools.➔ You also use underline to talk about drawing a line under a word or sentence to show that it is important: In my history textbook, I underlined some of the important dates and events.