1.
You use ~ to specify an important or typical example of something that you are talking about.
The divorce would be granted when more important problems, ~ the fate of the children, had been decided...
It was a question of making sure certain needs were addressed, ~ in the pensions area.
= particularly
ADV: ADV group/cl
2.
You can use ~ to emphasize a particular quality that someone or something has.
Old established friends are ~ absent, so it’s a good opportunity to make new contacts...
ADV: ADV adj/adv emphasis