highlighter

noun

high·​light·​er ˈhī-ˌlī-tər How to pronounce highlighter (audio)
plural highlighters
1
: a cosmetic for making facial features (such as the cheekbones) appear lighter or brighter
To enhance her natural beauty, the former model's complexion is glowing with a light, iridescent highlighter on her cheeks and a clear, glittery gloss on her lips.—Nicole Saunders
2
: a pen with a broad felt tip and brightly colored transparent ink for marking selected passages in a text
At least 100 publications, from newspapers to scientific journals, come into the building daily, and the editors' scissors and highlighters are never idle.—Keith Henderson

Examples of highlighter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Pair cut-crease glittery gold eyes with a matching two-tone lip and a ton of highlighter. — Michella Oré, Glamour, 27 Oct. 2026 Blush, bronzer, and highlighter all feature meltable formulas that seem to become part of the skin rather than sitting atop the surface. — Jeanne Ballion, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026 In the same vein, Molon’s friendship with Kiko Milano’s CEO Simone Dominici sparked the co-creation of a lip collection inspired by the Stabilo Boss Mini highlighters turned into lip markers available in five shades. — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026 For example, restock on Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks, mascaras, highlighters and more all on sale, or consider purchasing to gift someone this holiday season. — ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for highlighter

Word History

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of highlighter was in 1963

Rhymes for highlighter

See All Rhymes for highlighter

Browse Nearby Words

highlight
highlighter
highlight halftone
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Highlighter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/highlighter. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

highlighter

noun
high·​light·​er
: a pen with a broad felt tip and brightly colored transparent ink for marking selected passages in a text
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All