as in emphasizes
to indicate the importance of by centering attention on
punctuated each and every word of his denial with a pound of his fist on the table
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Recent Examples of punctuates
Crisp dialogue punctuates the story as Clark richly shows how people actually talk to each other, from the police colleagues to families in distress.
—
Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 8 Jan. 2026
The closing scene, in which the four embrace as fireworks go off, punctuates all of this onscreen thinking with external action to match.
—Niela Orr, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
The Aces success punctuates how sports have arrived in Vegas, with the Stanley Cup-winning success of the Golden Knights and imminent arrival of Major League Baseball’s Athletics.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 11 Oct. 2025
There’s a tennis court, a wild swimming pool, and a whimsical folly tower that punctuates the landscape like a page from a storybook.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 1 Oct. 2025
Despite that notable change, watching One Battle After Another is much like the experience of reading Pynchon, who lurches from high comedy to stomach-turning naturalism and punctuates plot-heavy sequences with little grace notes of character portraiture.
—Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 24 Sep. 2025
This trade also punctuates just what a disaster the team’s 2024 draft was.
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Sound designer Pietu Korhonen renders Olivia’s solitude palpable using gusts of wind and deafening silences while Utsav Lal’s music punctuates the film’s emotional distress and peace– from the spontaneous chorus of copla mid-bus ride to dance breaks in semi-empty bars.
—Jason Liwag, Variety, 14 Aug. 2025
The shows represent a refreshing return to form that punctuates the intimacy of live music, especially for a genre so rooted in makeshift gigs.
—Heather Bushman, IndyStar, 13 Aug. 2025
Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 8 Jan. 2026
The closing scene, in which the four embrace as fireworks go off, punctuates all of this onscreen thinking with external action to match.
—Niela Orr, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
The Aces success punctuates how sports have arrived in Vegas, with the Stanley Cup-winning success of the Golden Knights and imminent arrival of Major League Baseball’s Athletics.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 11 Oct. 2025
There’s a tennis court, a wild swimming pool, and a whimsical folly tower that punctuates the landscape like a page from a storybook.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 1 Oct. 2025
Despite that notable change, watching One Battle After Another is much like the experience of reading Pynchon, who lurches from high comedy to stomach-turning naturalism and punctuates plot-heavy sequences with little grace notes of character portraiture.
—Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 24 Sep. 2025
This trade also punctuates just what a disaster the team’s 2024 draft was.
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Sound designer Pietu Korhonen renders Olivia’s solitude palpable using gusts of wind and deafening silences while Utsav Lal’s music punctuates the film’s emotional distress and peace– from the spontaneous chorus of copla mid-bus ride to dance breaks in semi-empty bars.
—Jason Liwag, Variety, 14 Aug. 2025
The shows represent a refreshing return to form that punctuates the intimacy of live music, especially for a genre so rooted in makeshift gigs.
—Heather Bushman, IndyStar, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punctuates
Verb
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The report emphasizes that machines are designed to minimize the use of water and to reduce energy consumption without compromising the quality of the final product.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Petrelli gives a nuanced performance that emphasizes the meaning that Thea finds in researching and writing alongside Lövborg, even if the academic and publishing worlds have no place for her.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The discovery highlights the risks taken by both those seeking freedom and those who helped them.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
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Indeed, the halftime show’s setting in a sugarcane field highlights the sugar and rum production in the Caribbean, industries at the heart of the Colonial systems and slave trade that shaped our history.—
Lara N. Dotson-Renta,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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However, SpaceX stresses that this tracking is no substitute for transparency on the part of satellite operators, who should remember to share data on any trajectory changes.—
David Szondy
February 07,
New Atlas,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Ceconi stresses against the use of chlorine bleach for its harsh chemical makeup.—
Caroline Lubinsky,
Martha Stewart,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The ad features Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Jason Alexander, Jasmine Guy, Jaleel White, Alfonso Ribeiro and Ted Danson, all doing riffs on their past TV characters.—
Omar L. Gallaga,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Apple music features the personalized Love and Heartbreak stations, which were introduced for Valentine's Day 2024.—
Kirby Adams,
Louisville Courier Journal,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punctuates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punctuates. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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