point

Less common meanings

14. 14
    show with fingerverbintransitive

    To extend the index finger toward something to show where it is or draw attention to it.

    Don't point, just tell me which one.

    He pointed and the whole class turned round.

    UsagePoint at a person or thing as a target; point to a place, such as a town on a map.

    Similargesture, motion, signal

    Note

    Two prepositions do different work here. Point at singles out a target, and older writers show it as an act of scorn: "now must the world point at poor Katharine" (Shakespeare), "point at the tattered coat" (Dryden). Point to indicates a place, as when a football referee, after a foul in the box, points to the spot. Source

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

    • The Shakespeare quotation is authentic and depicts anticipated ridicule. Katherine speaks it in The Taming of the Shrew, Act III, scene ii. folger.edu
    • The Dryden quotation is authentic and describes contempt for poverty; it occurs in his translation of Persius's First Satire. dev.gutenberg.org
15. 15
    aimverbfigurativelytransitive

    To direct toward an object; to aim, sometimes figuratively.

    Point the torch at the ceiling.

    She pointed the hose at the flower bed and turned on the water.

    UsagePoint something at a target: point a camera at the crowd.

    Similaraim, direct, train, level, turn

    Note

    The figurative use aims attention instead of a weapon. An 1853 parliamentary paper has a witness's attention "pointed" to a threatening notice. The same speaker also says the man "pointed that out" and "drew my attention to it," the phrasings that now do most of this work. Source

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • The cited passage describes attention being pointed to an intimidating written warning. en.wiktionary.org
    • The same passage contains both quoted expressions. en.wiktionary.org
16. 16
    traitnouncountable or uncountable

    A distinguishing quality or characteristic of someone or something.

    His strong point is his memory.

    The house has its good points and its bad.

    UsageOften strong point, weak point, good points and bad points.

    Similarquality, feature, attribute, trait, characteristic

17. 17
    verbintransitive

    To be aimed or oriented in a given direction.

    Park so that the car will point downhill.

    The satellite dish on the roof points toward the southern sky.

    Similarface, look, front

18. 18
    direct (person)verbtransitive

    To guide someone, or nudge them, toward a particular place or course.

    Can you point me to a good dentist?

    Her teacher pointed her toward engineering.

    UsagePoint someone to or toward something; also point someone in the right direction.

    Similardirect, guide, steer, refer, lead

19. 19
    decimal dotnouncountable or uncountable

    The dot separating a whole number from its decimal fraction, especially as read aloud.

    Move the point one place to the right.

    Some countries use commas where we use points.

    UsageRead the digits after it one by one: 0.375 is zero point three seven five.

    Similardecimal

    Note

    Mostly a spoken word: on the page the dot is a decimal point, but aloud 10.5 becomes ten point five. In British speech a leading zero is often voiced as nought, where Americans usually say zero. Source

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

    • 10.5 can be read as ten point five. learn1.open.ac.uk
20. 20
    type sizenouncountable or uncountable

    In typography, a unit of measure equal to a twelfth of a pica, about 1/72 of an inch.

    The small print is six point, which is why nobody reads it.

    The designer bumped the captions up from eight points to ten so older readers could see them easily.

    UsageHyphenated before a noun (twelve-point type) and open after a verb (set in twelve point).

    Note

    Type is sized in these units, each a twelfth of a pica. Most digital typesetting now treats the old approximation as exactly a seventy-second of an inch. Source

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

    • A point is one twelfth of a pica. w3.org
21. 21
    a finger gesturenouncountable or uncountable

    A gesture made by aiming the index finger toward something to call attention to it.

    With a firm point at the empty chair, the teacher told the late student to sit down.

    The club was so loud that we got by on nods and points until we found a quieter corner.

    Similargesture, signal, indication

22. 22
    sharpenverbtransitive

    To sharpen; to cut, forge, grind, or file to an acute end, also figuratively.

    The smith will point the bars for the fence.

    Before planting the beans, she pointed the end of each pole with a hatchet so it would push easily into the soil.

    Similarsharpen, taper, tip, hone

    Oppositeblunt, dull

23. 23
    land into seanouncountable or uncountable

    A piece of land forming a peninsula or promontory.

    Fishermen cast from the rocks at the point.

    Two points enclose the bay.

    Similarheadland, promontory, cape, peninsula, spit

24. 24
    lead rolenouncountable or uncountable

    The leading position at the front of an advancing group, especially a military patrol; hence the lead role in a risky or demanding effort, as in take point or run point.

    He ran point on the rescue operation.

    Somebody has to be point, and it's you.

    UsageUsually with no a or the: take point, run point on a project, be point on an issue.

    Similarlead

    Note

    As a modifier it forms point-person, the one who fields everyone's questions. The sense suits risky or public work, where being first also means being exposed.

25. 25
    nouncountable or uncountable

    In video games and board games, a unit of a numerical quantity such as health, experience, stamina, or mana.

    Her knight was down to three hit points, so she drank a healing potion before opening the next door.

    Each level you gain adds a skill point that you can spend on stronger spells.

    Note

    Game designers turn many resources into numbered points: hit points for health, experience points for progress, skill points to spend on abilities. Damage is counted the same way, so an attack deals 320 points of damage. Unlike a point on the scoreboard, hit points and skill points are spent, lost and restored rather than simply added up, though experience points mostly accumulate. Source

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 5 facts

    • Hit points represent health in games. en.wikipedia.org
    • Experience points accumulate to measure progress. dndbeyond.com
    • Skill points can be spent on abilities. forums.elderscrollsonline.com
    • Hit points can be lost and restored. dndbeyond.com
    • Spent skill points can be refunded. forums.elderscrollsonline.com
26. 26
    nouncountable or uncountable

    A speck or mark so small that it is little more than a pinprick.

    Through the telescope, the distant planet was only a faint point against the black sky.

    Her pupils had shrunk to tiny points in the glare of the headlights.

    UsageOften a point of light or points of rust.

    Similardot, speck, spot, pinprick

    Note

    Stars and distant planets are its typical subjects, because they show as marks too small to have a shape. Source

    Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • Stars appear as points of light because their apparent size is too small for their shape to be distinguished by the unaided eye. science.nasa.gov
    • Distant planets can appear as points of light without a discernible shape to the unaided eye. science.nasa.gov
27. 27
    stock market unitnouncountable or uncountable

    A unit for expressing how much the price of a stock or share has moved.

    The stock closed down three points, its worst day since the spring.

    Shares of the airline rose more than a point after the merger news broke.

    Note

    A market word for movement: share prices and indexes rise or fall by so many points, and what one point is worth depends on what is being measured. It is easily confused with the percentage point, which measures the gap between two percentages. An index that falls two hundred points has not fallen two hundred percent. Source

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

    • The value represented by a market point depends on the instrument being measured. help.tradestation.com
    • A percentage point measures the difference between two percentages. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    • A 200-point index decline does not mean a 200% decline; its percentage size depends on the starting index level. commonslibrary.parliament.uk
28. 28
    nouncountable or uncountable

    A patch of contrasting color on an animal's coat, particularly a dog's.

    The puppy has a white coat with tan points on its muzzle and legs.

    Judges noted that the cat's points were evenly dark on the ears, paws and tail.

    Similarmarking

    Note

    The singular turns up before another noun, as in point color, the shade of those patches, so a cat's point color can be a deep sable. Source

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

    • A cat's points can be deep sable in color. acfacat.com
29. 29
    nouncountable or uncountable

    Each of the main directions on a compass, usually reckoned at 32; a direction.

    She could name every point of the compass at six.

    The wind shifted two points to the east, so the captain had the sails trimmed.

    Similardirection, bearing, quarter

30. 30
    wall socketnounUKcountable or uncountable

    An electric power socket, usually in a wall.

    The kettle's lead won't reach the point.

    Modern kitchens have points above the counter.

    UsageOften in the compound power point.

    Similarsocket, outlet

    Note

    A British household word for the socket in the wall, often heard in the compound power point.

31. 31
    full stopnouncountable or uncountable

    A period, or any punctuation mark used to close a sentence.

    Commas and points they set exactly right.

    1735, Alexander Pope, The Prologue to the Satires

    Similarperiod, stop

    Note

    The mark that closes a sentence is named for the dot it is. The word came through Old French point, "dot", from Latin pūnctum, a hole pricked into a surface. In 1735 Pope mocked pedantic critics who set "commas and points" exactly right yet lacked taste and sense, naming the two marks side by side. Source

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

    • The punctuation name derives from the dot sense, through Old French point, from Latin pūnctum, meaning a puncture or pricked hole. en.wiktionary.org
    • Pope’s poem containing the quotation was first published in 1735; its first-edition title page was dated 1734. jacklynch.net
    • Pope juxtaposed “commas and points” while mocking critics who lacked taste and sense. rpo.library.utoronto.ca
32. 32
    rail switchnounUKcountable or uncountableplural

    In the plural, a railroad switch.

    Points and signals are worked from the box.

    The derailment was blamed on worn points.

    Similarswitch, turnout

    Note

    British railway usage, and usually plural: the points failed, worn points, a signalman set the points, even when only one junction is meant. Treat the plural as naming one mechanism of moving rails. In North American usage the same device is a railroad switch, the very word used to define it. Source

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

    • The plural is usual, including for one set, but singular usage also occurs: Network Rail uses “a point”. networkrail.co.uk
    • Points can denote an entire switching mechanism; its plural form does not make it a mass noun. en.wikipedia.org
    • Railroad switch is North American terminology. Points is also used outside Britain, including in New Zealand. kiwirail.co.nz
33. 33
    verbtransitive

    To fill the gaps between the bricks or stones of a wall with extra mortar or cement and smooth it off neatly.

    Masons will point the brickwork once the new section of wall has settled.

    He spent the weekend pointing the stone foundation with fresh lime mortar.

    Note

    On old walls the work is usually a repair: the crumbling mortar is raked out and fresh mortar pressed in and smoothed. The finished lines of mortar are themselves called pointing, and redoing them is repointing. Source

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

    • On old walls, pointing work usually repairs deteriorated mortar. communities-ni.gov.uk
    • Deteriorated mortar is raked out before replacement. historicengland.org.uk
    • Fresh mortar is pressed into the joints and finished with tools. nps.gov
    • The exposed mortar is called pointing, and replacing it is repointing. spab.org.uk
34. 34
    nouncountable

    In tennis and other racket sports, one stretch of play, from first shot to last, that is decided when one side scores.

    The longest point of the final lasted more than thirty shots before he netted a backhand.

    She played every point as if the whole match depended on it.

    Similarrally

    Note

    Racket sports use one word for two things: the stretch of play, which has length and shots in it, and the unit of score it produces. Words of length and effort mark this meaning (a long point, a thirty-shot point, a hard-fought point), while win and lose fit both. Rally is the near-synonym, though a rally can also be practice that decides nothing. Source

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

    • A point is a stretch of tennis play whose outcome awards a point to one side. en.wikipedia.org
    • Rallies can be cooperative practice without deciding a competitive point. lta.org.uk
35. 35
    nouncountable

    A penalty unit charged against a person's driver's license for a traffic violation; accumulating too many can result in suspension or other sanctions.

    She paid the ticket quickly, not realizing it would put a point on her license.

    With six points already on his record, one more speeding ticket could cost him his license.

    UsagePoints go on your license: get points, have six points on your record.

    Similardemerit

36. 36
    verbintransitive

    To suggest that something is probable, as evidence or signs do; usually followed by to.

    Early polling points to a tight race this fall.

    Rising sales and new hiring point to the economy recovering faster than expected.

    Similarindicate, suggest

    Note

    The subject is usually evidence of some kind (polls, figures, signs, anecdotal evidence), and the verb takes to with a noun or an -ing clause: evidence points to the same happening in Spain. It stops short of proof, and that hedge is its use. With a person as subject the verb leans toward simply drawing attention: a critic who points to rising costs is naming them, not predicting them.

37. 37
    nounUScountablefinanceus

    A charge of one percent of the principal on a mortgage, typically settled at closing, that borrowers often pay in return for a lower interest rate.

    On a $300,000 loan, each point costs the borrower $3,000 at closing.

    Buyers who plan to stay in a house for many years often pay points up front to lock in a lower rate.

    Note

    The term belongs chiefly to American home buying, where a lender quotes one rate with points and another without, and the buyer decides which to take. Points paid to lower the rate are also called discount points, and the trade is described as buying down the rate. Each point is figured on the amount borrowed, not on the price of the house. Source

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

    • Borrowers can choose between mortgage rates with and without points. consumerfinance.gov
    • Points paid to reduce the interest rate are called discount points. consumerfinance.gov
    • Paying points for a lower mortgage rate is called buying down the rate. bettermoneyhabits.bankofamerica.com
    • A point is calculated on the mortgage loan amount, rather than the property's purchase price. federalreserve.gov
38. 38
    verbintransitive

    To show that game is close by keeping a fixed, steady gaze toward it, as some hunting dogs do.

    A well-trained setter will point and hold perfectly still until the hunter reaches it.

    The old bird dog pointed at the edge of the cornfield, her tail stiff behind her.

    Note

    Here the dog points with its whole body: it freezes, nose toward the hidden birds, and holds still until the hunter comes up behind it. John Gay's Rural Sports (1713) already has a dog that, as the warm scent tells it a covey is near, "treads with caution, and he points with fear". A dog holding this pose is said to be on point. Source

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 6 facts

    • A pointing dog freezes with its nose directed toward the birds. akc.org
    • The dog holds its position while the hunter approaches from behind. jagareforbundet.se
    • A trained pointing dog waits steadily for its handler to arrive. akc.org
    • John Gay wrote Rural Sports, first published in 1713. pitt.libguides.com
    • The poem describes a dog scenting a nearby covey and contains the quoted wording. ckc.ca
    • A dog holding this posture is described as on point. akc.org
39. 39
    verb

    To direct requests sent to a domain name to the IP address for that name.
40. 40
    noun

    Either of the two metal contacts in an engine's distributor that close and open to let current flow through the ignition coil or cut it off.
41. 41
    noun

    A mark added to letters, chiefly in Hebrew, Arabic and other Semitic scripts, to show vowels, stress and similar features.
42. 42
    noun

    A dot in music notation, especially one placed after a note to make it half again as long, or in early music a mark of certain note values.
43. 43
    noun

    A single musical note, or a melody.
44. 44
    nounarchaic

    The state or condition that someone or something is in.
45. 45
    noundatedUS

    A piece of inside information or a useful suggestion.
46. 46
    nounobsolete

    The tiniest possible amount of something.

    full large of limbe and euery ioint / He was, and cared not for God or man a point.

    1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene
47. 47
    nounobsolete

    A very brief instant of time.

    When time's first point begun / Made he all souls.

    1599, John Davies, “Of the Soule of Man and the Immortalitie Thereof”
48. 48
    noundated

    The main strengths or finest qualities of something, usually in the plural.
49. 49
    noun

    One tenth of a whole, now mostly in set phrases, or in older use one twelfth.
50. 50
    noun

    An angle of 11.25 degrees, the 32nd part of a full circle, used for compass bearings.
51. 51
    nounUK

    A unit of rainfall, equal to a hundredth of an inch, or 0.254 millimeters.
52. 52
    noun

    Something that ends in a sharp or narrowing tip, such as a needle or a pointed tool.
53. 53
    noun

    A pointed head fastened to a shaft or handle, as on a spear or arrow.
54. 54
    nounobsolete

    A small sharpened slip of ivory, bone, or quill coated with vaccine and used to inoculate people.
55. 55
    noun

    One of the twenty-four narrow triangles on a backgammon board, where the pieces sit.
56. 56
    noun

    Short for point man, the person who leads a patrol or goes first in a risky task.
57. 57
    noun

    Sharpness or force in speech or writing, the quality that makes words hit home or settle a matter.
58. 58
    noun

    One of the pointed branches growing from a deer's antler.
59. 59
    noun

    In heraldry, one of the corner areas of a shield, meaning the bottom center unless a word such as dexter or sinister names another.
60. 60
    noun

    In heraldry, a wedge-shaped charge rising upward from the bottom of a shield, like a pile but often shorter.
61. 61
    noun

    The act of directing something a certain way, especially stretching the foot so the toes aim down in dance.
62. 62
    noun

    The stiff, still stance a pointer or setter takes when it has found game.
63. 63
    noun

    A hawk's straight upward climb above the spot where its quarry has taken cover.
64. 64
    noun

    A thrust or other action made with a fencing sword.
65. 65
    noun

    A short length of rope used to tie up part of a sail when it is reefed.
66. 66
    noun

    A lace or cord used to fasten parts of clothing together, such as hose to a doublet.

    pick your purse while they tie your points, and cut your throat while they smooth your pillow

    1822, [Walter Scott], The Fortunes of Nigel.
67. 67
    noun

    Lace made by hand with a needle rather than with bobbins.
68. 68
    noun

    A cricket fielding spot level with the batter's crease on the off-side, with gully to one side and cover to the other.
69. 69
    noun

    The defensive position just ahead of the goalkeeper in lacrosse or early ice hockey, or the player in it.
70. 70
    noun

    The places on the field taken by the pitcher and the catcher in early baseball.
71. 71
    noun

    A spot toward which a hunt makes a straight run, or such a direct cross-country run.
72. 72
    verb

    To renew the mortar in the joints of old brickwork or stonework.
73. 73
    verb

    To dress stone by chipping its face with a sharp-ended tool.
74. 74
    verb

    To mark off the whole part of a number from its fraction by placing a decimal point.
75. 75
    verb

    To add diacritic marks to a text, especially vowel signs in Hebrew or Arabic.
76. 76
    verbdated

    To add punctuation to a piece of writing.
77. 77
    verb

    To tell a computer's processor to look for data at a particular address in memory.
78. 78
    verb

    Of a sailboat or its crew, to sail as nearly into the wind as the boat can manage.
79. 79
    verb

    To move toward the skin's surface and come to a head, said of an abscess or boil.
80. 80
    verbdated

    To add force or emphasis to a remark or action.

    He points it, however, by no deviation from his straightforward manner of speech.

    1852, Charles Dickens, Bleak House
81. 81
    verbobsolete

    To name or assign a person to a role or task.

    And he, that points the Centinel his room, Doth license him depart at sound of morning Droom.

    1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene