as in emphasizing
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 punctuating
The half-dozen screens punctuating the show with this gesture offer potent and campy but all-too-serious reminders that anger and nostalgia for a world of white supremacy are not dead.
—
Horace D. Ballard, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026
The confab came a day after the S & P 500 closed at its first record high since late January, punctuating its dramatic comeback from the Iran war sell-off.
—Kevin Stankiewicz,alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 16 Apr. 2026
Khori Bennett added the Switchbacks’ third and final goal in the 84th minute, punctuating Colorado Springs’ stunning upset over a higher-division opponent.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 15 Apr. 2026
Michigan finished the job, punctuating a remarkable two-year turnaround for May, who arrived at Michigan in 2024 after taking Florida Atlantic to the Final Four in 2023.
—Justin Williams, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026
There are dozens of picturesque villages punctuating the landscapes in and around the mountains, making plentiful pit stops a must on your journey through the Dolomites.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
Carpenter accessorized with peep-toe mules, punctuating her look with her go-to blonde curls.
—Hannah Malach, InStyle, 4 Feb. 2026
Delivered with an ease that flirts with comedy, it can be taken as humor punctuating drama.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 27 Jan. 2026
There were no laughs, with the audience remaining silent and punctuating parts of Kimmel’s speech with a big applause.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026
Horace D. Ballard, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026
The confab came a day after the S & P 500 closed at its first record high since late January, punctuating its dramatic comeback from the Iran war sell-off.
—Kevin Stankiewicz,alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 16 Apr. 2026
Khori Bennett added the Switchbacks’ third and final goal in the 84th minute, punctuating Colorado Springs’ stunning upset over a higher-division opponent.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 15 Apr. 2026
Michigan finished the job, punctuating a remarkable two-year turnaround for May, who arrived at Michigan in 2024 after taking Florida Atlantic to the Final Four in 2023.
—Justin Williams, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026
There are dozens of picturesque villages punctuating the landscapes in and around the mountains, making plentiful pit stops a must on your journey through the Dolomites.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
Carpenter accessorized with peep-toe mules, punctuating her look with her go-to blonde curls.
—Hannah Malach, InStyle, 4 Feb. 2026
Delivered with an ease that flirts with comedy, it can be taken as humor punctuating drama.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 27 Jan. 2026
There were no laughs, with the audience remaining silent and punctuating parts of Kimmel’s speech with a big applause.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punctuating
Verb
-
Heat president Pat Riley made that clear during his annual season-ending news conference on Monday at Kaseya Center, emphasizing his disdain toward tanking for a top draft pick.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
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Fifteen other states, including Iowa and Missouri, filed a brief emphasizing the importance of preserving access to affordable glyphosate.—
Christiana Freitag,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Even so, The Pitt‘s 2025 Emmy win for Outstanding Drama Series was a shot in the arm for the hospital genre, highlighting how audiences could respond to gritty storytelling focused on characters working in brutal, relentless circumstances.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
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Yet, these authors and their peers such as Naomi Schaefer Riley continually shrink this extraordinarily complex problem to outcomes only — framing broken families in deeply dark narratives of horror, highlighting failures and demanding accountability.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The same instinct shows up in the lifestyle creator influencer accent, characterized by uptalk and the lengthening and extra stressing on words.—
Rachel Hale,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
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The authors take aim at TRIPS and TRIPS-Plus agreements by stressing the dangers of a colonialism of information that ignores individual countries’ political and economic circumstances.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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On Tuesday, April 28, the singer and rapper shared a post on Instagram featuring multiple snaps from her 38th birthday celebrations, as well as teasing the release date for her upcoming album, Bitch.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
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Through a presentation of music by female composers, pianist Kerbel will explore the musical landscape of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, featuring works by American composers Amy Beach and Florence Price, as well as international compositions by Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel and Lili Boulanger.—
Philip Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punctuating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punctuating. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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