: to scratch out the old mortar from the joints of (something, such as a brick wall) and fill in with new material
3
a(1)
: to mark the pauses or grammatical divisions in : punctuate
(2)
: to separate (a decimal fraction) from an integer by a decimal point—usually used with off
b
: to mark (words, such as Hebrew words) with diacritics (such as vowel points)
4
a(1)
: to indicate the position or direction of especially by extending a finger
point the way home
(2)
: to direct someone's attention to
point the way to new knowledge Elizabeth Hall
—usually used with out or up
point out a mistakepoints up the difference
b
of a hunting dog: to indicate the presence and place of (game) by stiffening into a fixed position with head and gaze directed toward the animal hunted
5
a
: to cause to be turned in a particular direction
point a gun
pointed the boat upstream
b
: to extend (a leg) and arch (the foot) in executing a point in dancing
Noun She showed us several graphs to illustrate the point she was making. I see your point, but I don't think everyone will agree. There's no use in arguing the point. He made a very good point about the need for change. Let me make one final point. That's the point I've been trying to make. “What's your point?” “Actually, I have two points.” My point is simply that we must do something to help the homeless. “If we leave now, we won't make it back in time.” “That's a good point.” There are two critical points that I would like to discuss. Verb “It's not polite to point,” she said. When I asked the child where his mother was, he pointed in the direction of the house. Pointing with his cane, the old man asked, “Whose dog is that?”. She pointed her finger at the door. They pointed their microphones in my direction. We can leave when the minute hand points to 12. Stand with your arms at your sides and your hands pointing downward. The ship was pointing into the wind. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Voters' feelings towards Mr. Trump are just 34% positive and 54% negative -- 20 points underwater -- it’s his lowest point in a year and a half.NBC News, 18 Sep. 2022 So yes, to your larger point, guest extortion is appalling and Miss Manners is getting tired of pointing this out. Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 17 Sep. 2022 But the tiny home record is mixed so far, and De León told a story to illustrate his point. Steve Lopezcolumnist, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2022 The meeting took place over Zoom, DeLong noted, proving his point. Tristan Bove, Fortune, 17 Sep. 2022 The Frodo journey is what felt like my point of access. Adam B. Vary, Variety, 16 Sep. 2022 My lowest point in the house was definitely finding out about all the things Kyle had said before. Dalton Ross, EW.com, 16 Sep. 2022 Its only point is to garner some attention from the Fox News set by portraying people who are merely seeking safety and economic security as violent criminals and traffickers. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 16 Sep. 2022 My point here is Hall won’t have this backfield handed to him. Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Sep. 2022
Verb
The man was put in contact with the article's author, who was able to point him to the field where the dead were buried. Bill Bowden, Arkansas Online, 5 Sep. 2022 Fed officials point to a strong U.S. job market as evidence the biggest global economy can tolerate higher borrowing costs.CBS News, 30 Aug. 2022 That alone would not have granted access to Ring data, but Checkmarx was able to use a cross-site scripting vulnerability in Ring's internal browser to point it at an authorization token. Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 18 Aug. 2022 His aim is to imagine and point us to a better world. Heller Mcalpin, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Aug. 2022 The advice in this column is to point you in a direction that encourages healing and creates safety for you in this world.refinery29.com, 27 July 2022 Simply open the app, tap scan, and point it at the barcode on anything from a shampoo bottle to a pack of cookies. Simon Hill, Wired, 26 July 2022 Great trust and rapport is needed between diver and coach because almost every dive has imperfections, and coaches want to point them out to their divers while not discouraging them.New York Times, 18 July 2022 Endnotes point you in the direction of further study. Matthew Continetti, National Review, 9 July 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, partly from Anglo-French, prick, dot, moment, from Latin punctum, from neuter of punctus, past participle of pungere to prick; partly from Anglo-French pointe sharp end, from Vulgar Latin *puncta, from Latin, feminine of punctus, past participle — more at pungent
First Known Use
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)