accent
4 ENTRIES FOUND:
plural
accents
plural
accents
Britannica Dictionary definition of ACCENT
1
[count]
:
a way of pronouncing words that occurs among the people in a particular region or country
-
Regional accents are common in the U.S.
-
She spoke with an American/English accent.
-
The tourist had a foreign accent.
-
He has a heavy/thick southern accent.
-
a slight/light/faint accent
-
a French/German/Italian accent
2
[count]
:
greater stress or force given to a syllable of a word in speech
-
The word “before” has the accent on the last syllable.
-
Put the accent on the first syllable of the word.
3
[count]
a
:
a mark (such as ˈ or ˌ) used to show the part of a word that should be given greater stress when it is spoken
— called also
accent mark
b
:
a mark placed above a letter to show how it should be pronounced
-
The accents in the French word “émigré” show how the letter “e” should be pronounced.
— called also
accent mark
4
[singular]
:
special concern or attention
:
emphasis
— usually + on
-
This year's new TV shows put/place the/an accent on youth.
-
Our accent is on providing our customers with dependable service.
5
[count]
:
a small decorative object or detail that is different from the things that are around it
-
This type of plant is often used as a decorative accent.
-
used accents of bright colors in the new room
-
accent colors/lighting/plants
accents;
accented;
accenting
accents;
accented;
accenting
Britannica Dictionary definition of ACCENT
[+ object]
1
:
to give special attention to (something)
-
His speech accented [=highlighted, emphasized] positive parts of the plan.
2
:
to say (part of a word) with greater stress or force
-
When you say “before,” you should accent the second syllable. = You should accent the word “before” on the second syllable.
