# point

Pronunciation: say "POYNT" /pɔɪnt/

## Noun

1. A particular moment or juncture in an event or occurrence.
   - Simple: A certain moment while something is happening.
   - _At one point I nearly left._
   - _The story reaches a turning point in chapter nine._
2. One of the units in which a player's or team's score is counted in a game or contest.
   - Simple: One unit of the score in a game or competition.
   - _She scored thirty points in the second half._
   - _One more point and we win._
3. A precise spot or location, thought of as a position in space.
   - Simple: A particular place or spot.
   - _From this point you can see both towers._
   - _The map marks three points where the trail forks._
5. The central idea or chief matter under discussion or consideration.
   - Simple: The main idea, or what really matters.
   - _What's your point?_
   - _The point is, we just can't afford a new car right now._
6. A topic, proposition or individual argument in a discussion or debate.
   - Simple: An argument or idea put forward in a discussion.
   - _Point taken, we'll change the plan._
   - _Three points were raised against the proposal._
7. The sharp or tapering end of something, such as a needle, knife, star or collar.
   - Simple: The sharp or narrow end of something, like the tip of a pin or knife.
   - _The needle has a very fine point._
   - _Spears with iron points were found in the grave._
8. The purpose or aim that gives something its meaning or value.
   - Simple: A reason or purpose that makes something worth doing.
   - _What's the point of a rule nobody keeps?_
   - _The point of the exercise is to build trust._
9. A given level or figure on a scale, for instance of temperature, price or quantity.
   - Simple: A certain level or number, for example how hot it is or how much something costs.
   - _Shares in the company fell to their lowest point in three years._
   - _Once the reservoir drops below a certain point, watering lawns is banned._
10. A single element of a larger whole, such as a particular detail, thought or quality.
   - Simple: One detail or part of something bigger.
   - _Each point of the plan was checked twice._
   - _The new rules differ from the old ones on several important points._
11. A unit of reward that a customer or member earns, saves up and later trades in for products, services or other perks.
   - Simple: A unit you earn by shopping or being a member, which you can later trade for things or extras.
   - _Each point is worth about a cent when you redeem it for flights._
   - _She cashed in her hotel rewards points for three free nights in Chicago._
12. Short for percentage point: a unit for the difference between two percentages, as when a rate goes from 4 to 5 percent. — Ellipsis of percentage point.
   - Simple: Short for percentage point: the unit for how much a percentage rises or falls, as from 4% to 5%.
   - _Unemployment dropped two points over the year, from seven percent to five._
   - _Inflation rose half a point last month._
13. In mathematics and science, a zero-dimensional object representing a location, with position but no magnitude or direction.
   - Simple: In maths, an exact position that has no size.
   - _Mark the point where the two circles meet._
   - _The graph plots a hundred points._
16. A distinguishing quality or characteristic of someone or something.
   - Simple: A quality or feature that a person or thing has.
   - _His strong point is his memory._
   - _The house has its good points and its bad._
19. The dot separating a whole number from its decimal fraction, especially as read aloud.
   - Simple: The dot in a decimal number, especially when you say it aloud.
   - _Move the point one place to the right._
   - _Some countries use commas where we use points._
20. In typography, a unit of measure equal to a twelfth of a pica, about 1/72 of an inch.
   - Simple: In printing, a unit for the size of letters, 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._
21. A gesture made by aiming the index finger toward something to call attention to it.
   - Simple: The act of holding out a finger to show something.
   - _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._
23. A piece of land forming a peninsula or promontory.
   - Simple: A piece of land that sticks out into the sea or a lake.
   - _Fishermen cast from the rocks at the point._
   - _Two points enclose the bay._
24. 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.
   - Simple: The front position of a group moving forward, or the lead role in a hard or risky job.
   - _He ran point on the rescue operation._
   - _Somebody has to be point, and it's you._
25. In video games and board games, a unit of a numerical quantity such as health, experience, stamina, or mana.
   - Simple: In a game, a unit used to count things like health, skill, or energy.
   - _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._
26. A speck or mark so small that it is little more than a pinprick.
   - Simple: A very small spot or mark, as tiny as 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._
27. A unit for expressing how much the price of a stock or share has moved.
   - Simple: A unit for changes in share prices.
   - _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._
28. A patch of contrasting color on an animal's coat, particularly a dog's.
   - Simple: An area of a different color on an animal's fur, especially on a dog.
   - _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._
29. Each of the main directions on a compass, usually reckoned at 32; a direction.
   - Simple: One of the 32 directions on a compass.
   - _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._
30. An electric power socket, usually in a wall. *(UK)*
   - Simple: A socket in the wall where you plug in electric things.
   - _The kettle's lead won't reach the point._
   - _Modern kitchens have points above the counter._
31. A period, or any punctuation mark used to close a sentence.
   - Simple: A full stop or other mark that ends a sentence.
32. In the plural, a railroad switch. *(UK)*
   - Simple: Movable rails that switch a train to another track, used in the plural.
   - _Points and signals are worked from the box._
   - _The derailment was blamed on worn points._
34. In tennis and other racket sports, one stretch of play, from first shot to last, that is decided when one side scores.
   - Simple: In tennis and other racket sports, one stretch of play that ends 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._
35. 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.
   - Simple: A mark on your driver's license for breaking a traffic law. Too many bring a penalty, like losing your license.
   - _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._
37. 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. *(US)*
   - Simple: A mortgage fee of one percent of the money you borrow, often paid to get 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._

## Verb

4. To indicate a direction or direct attention toward something.
   - Simple: To show a direction, as an arrow does, or to make people notice something.
   - _All the evidence seems to point one way._
   - _The signpost points toward the village._
14. To extend the index finger toward something to show where it is or draw attention to it.
   - Simple: To show where something is with your finger.
   - _Don't point, just tell me which one._
   - _He pointed and the whole class turned round._
15. To direct toward an object; to aim, sometimes figuratively.
   - Simple: To aim something at a target.
   - _Point the torch at the ceiling._
   - _She pointed the hose at the flower bed and turned on the water._
17. To be aimed or oriented in a given direction.
   - Simple: To be turned toward a certain direction.
   - _Park so that the car will point downhill._
   - _The satellite dish on the roof points toward the southern sky._
18. To guide someone, or nudge them, toward a particular place or course.
   - Simple: To send someone in the right direction.
   - _Can you point me to a good dentist?_
   - _Her teacher pointed her toward engineering._
22. To sharpen; to cut, forge, grind, or file to an acute end, also figuratively.
   - Simple: To make something sharp at the end.
   - _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._
33. To fill the gaps between the bricks or stones of a wall with extra mortar or cement and smooth it off neatly.
   - Simple: To fill the gaps between the bricks or stones of a wall with cement and make them smooth.
   - _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._
36. To suggest that something is probable, as evidence or signs do; usually followed by to.
   - Simple: To make it seem likely that something is true or will happen.
   - _Early polling points to a tight race this fall._
   - _Rising sales and new hiring point to the economy recovering faster than expected._
38. To show that game is close by keeping a fixed, steady gaze toward it, as some hunting dogs do.
   - Simple: To show where a hidden animal is by staring at it without moving, like 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._

## Other meanings

- (verb) To direct requests sent to a domain name to the IP address for that name.
- (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.
- (noun) A mark added to letters, chiefly in Hebrew, Arabic and other Semitic scripts, to show vowels, stress and similar features.
- (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.
- (noun) A single musical note, or a melody.
- (noun) The state or condition that someone or something is in.
- (noun) A piece of inside information or a useful suggestion.
- (noun) The tiniest possible amount of something.
- (noun) A very brief instant of time.
- (noun) The main strengths or finest qualities of something, usually in the plural.
- (noun) One tenth of a whole, now mostly in set phrases, or in older use one twelfth.
- (noun) An angle of 11.25 degrees, the 32nd part of a full circle, used for compass bearings.
- (noun) A unit of rainfall, equal to a hundredth of an inch, or 0.254 millimeters.
- (noun) Something that ends in a sharp or narrowing tip, such as a needle or a pointed tool.
- (noun) A pointed head fastened to a shaft or handle, as on a spear or arrow.
- (noun) A small sharpened slip of ivory, bone, or quill coated with vaccine and used to inoculate people.
- (noun) One of the twenty-four narrow triangles on a backgammon board, where the pieces sit.
- (noun) Short for point man, the person who leads a patrol or goes first in a risky task.
- (noun) Sharpness or force in speech or writing, the quality that makes words hit home or settle a matter.
- (noun) One of the pointed branches growing from a deer's antler.
- (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.
- (noun) In heraldry, a wedge-shaped charge rising upward from the bottom of a shield, like a pile but often shorter.
- (noun) The act of directing something a certain way, especially stretching the foot so the toes aim down in dance.
- (noun) The stiff, still stance a pointer or setter takes when it has found game.
- (noun) A hawk's straight upward climb above the spot where its quarry has taken cover.
- (noun) A thrust or other action made with a fencing sword.
- (noun) A short length of rope used to tie up part of a sail when it is reefed.
- (noun) A lace or cord used to fasten parts of clothing together, such as hose to a doublet.
- (noun) Lace made by hand with a needle rather than with bobbins.
- (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.
- (noun) The defensive position just ahead of the goalkeeper in lacrosse or early ice hockey, or the player in it.
- (noun) The places on the field taken by the pitcher and the catcher in early baseball.
- (noun) A spot toward which a hunt makes a straight run, or such a direct cross-country run.
- (verb) To renew the mortar in the joints of old brickwork or stonework.
- (verb) To dress stone by chipping its face with a sharp-ended tool.
- (verb) To mark off the whole part of a number from its fraction by placing a decimal point.
- (verb) To add diacritic marks to a text, especially vowel signs in Hebrew or Arabic.
- (verb) To add punctuation to a piece of writing.
- (verb) To tell a computer's processor to look for data at a particular address in memory.
- (verb) Of a sailboat or its crew, to sail as nearly into the wind as the boat can manage.
- (verb) To move toward the skin's surface and come to a head, said of an abscess or boil.
- (verb) To add force or emphasis to a remark or action.
- (verb) To name or assign a person to a role or task.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–3, 5–13, 16, 19–21, 23–32, 34–35, 37** — From Middle English "poynt," from Old French "point" (dot; minute amount), from Latin "punctum" (a hole punched in; a puncture), from "pungo" (I prick, punch); alternatively from Old French "pointe" (sharp tip), from Latin "puncta," all ultimately from Proto-Italic. It mostly replaced the native Old English word "ord" (point).
**Meanings 4, 14–15, 17–18, 22, 33, 36, 38** — The verb traces back to Latin "punctum," which gave "point." From that came Old French "pointier" and then Middle English "pointen."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/point (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).