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Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: point out vb - (tr, adverb) to indicate or specify
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024point /pɔɪnt/USA pronunciation n. - a sharp, thin or narrow end, as of a dagger:[countable]The point of the knife was dull.
- a part (of anything) that sticks out:[countable]A point of land juts into the bay.
- [countable]
- Mathematicsa dot indicating that a number following it is some fraction of ten, one hundred, etc.: [countable]A decimal point followed by the number five is written.5 and means five-tenths.[uncountable* used with numbers]We have one point five (= 1.5) kilometers left to go in the race.
- Mathematics (in geometry) a location that has position but no length or width, as the place where two lines meet:[countable]a point of intersection.
- Nautical, Naval Terms[countable] a direction on a compass.
- a particular place, as or as if marked on a map;
a spot:[countable]At several points along the highway there are signs telling drivers about the scenic views they can enjoy. - a degree or stage:[countable]the boiling point.
- a particular instant of time:[countable]At that point, so late in the day, we were all too tired to go on.
- a critical position in affairs:[countable]He had reached a point of no return in the project and had to finish it or face trouble.
- the essential thing or idea;
one's purpose: [countable; usually singular; usually: the + ~]The speaker made three main points. Please stop being vague and get to the point. What's the point of going on?[uncountable* used with a negative word or phrase, or in questions]There isn't much point to going on, is there? - a particular mark that distinguishes someone or something from another:[countable]His best point is his ability to work alone and get the job done.
- Games a unit of counting in the score of a game:[countable]Our team scored thirteen points.
- Business a unit of prices in stock exchanges, as, in the U.S., one dollar:[countable]The Dow Jones fell twenty points before a brief rally.
- Printinga unit used to measure the size of type, equal to 0.013835 inch (1&sfracdenom72&sfracend inch), or 1&sfracdenom12&sfracend pica: [countable]too large a point on that poster.[uncountable* after a number]using Courier 12 point for printing.
v. - to aim or direct (the finger, a weapon, etc.) at, to, or upon something: [~ + object]He pointed the gun at the target.[no object]In some cultures it is rude to point at a person.
- point out:
- to show the presence, place, or position of (something), as by moving the hand or finger in the direction of it: [~ + out + object]She pointed out an object in the sky.[~ + object + out]She pointed him out to me.
- to direct attention to;
call attention to: [~ + out + object]He pointed out several advantages of your proposal.[~ + object + out]You already pointed that out.[~ + out + that clause]I pointed out that we had several more opportunities.
- to stretch or extend (the fingers, toes, etc.):[~ + object]The ballerina pointed her toes.
- point to or toward, [~ + to/toward + object]
- to direct the mind in some direction;
be a sign or signal of:All the evidence points to their guilt.
- point up, [~ + up + object] to give greater or added force to (a statement, etc.):to point up the need for caution.
Idioms- Idioms beside the point, not important to, or related to, what is being discussed;
irrelevant:Her comments about his money are beside the point. - Idioms in point, (used to introduce an example of something that applies to what is said):We spend too much on lawyers' fees, and here is a case in point: a charge of $1,000 to fill in your name on a will.
- Idioms in point of, as regards;
in reference to:in point of fact. - Idioms make a point of, [~ + object] to be sure to (do something):Make a point of rechecking your work.
- Idioms to the point, [be + ~] important to (the thing being discussed);
relevant:His answers were brief but to the point. point•y, adj., -i•er, -i•est. See -point-.-point-, root. - -point- comes from French and ultimately from Latin, where it has the meaning "point, prick, pierce.'' It is related to the root -punct-. This meaning is found in such words as: appoint, disappoint, midpoint, pinpoint, point, pointless, viewpoint.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024point (point),USA pronunciation n. - a sharp or tapering end, as of a dagger.
- a projecting part of anything:A point of land juts into the bay.
- a tapering extremity:the points of the fingers.
- something having a sharp or tapering end:a pen point.
- Buildinga pointed tool or instrument, as an etching needle.
- Anthropology, Archaeologya stone implement with a tapering end found in some Middle and Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic cultures and used primarily for hunting.
- a mark made with or as if with the sharp end of something:Her sharp heels left points in the carpet.
- a mark of punctuation.
- period (def. 15).
- MathematicsSee under decimal fraction.
- Linguistics, Phonetics[Phonet.]a diacritic indicating a vowel or other modification of sound.
- Printingone of the embossed dots used in certain systems of writing and printing for the blind.
- Mathematicssomething that has position but not extension, as the intersection of two lines.
- a place of which the position alone is considered;
spot:We're leaving for Chicago and points west. - any definite position, as in a scale, course, etc.:the boiling point.
- Medicine, Holistic Therapy(in acupuncture) a particular spot on the body at which a needle may be inserted, as to relieve pain.
- Nautical, Naval Terms[Navig.]any of 32 separate horizontal directions, 11° 15′ apart, as indicated on the card of a compass or gauged with reference to the heading of a vessel.
- Nautical, Naval TermsSee point of sailing.
- a degree or stage:frankness to the point of insult.
- a particular instant of time:It was at that point that I told him he'd said enough.
- a critical position in a course of affairs:Morale had reached a low point.
- a decisive state of circumstances:He reached the point where he could no longer pay his debts.
- the important or essential thing:the point of the matter.
- the salient feature of a story, epigram, joke, etc.:to miss the point.
- a particular aim, end, or purpose:He carried his point.
- a hint or suggestion:points on getting a job.
- a single or separate article or item, as in an extended whole;
a detail or particular:the fine points of a contract. - an individual part or element of something:noble points in her character.
- a distinguishing mark or quality, esp. one of an animal, used as a standard in stockbreeding, judging, etc.
- points:
- Dog and Cat Breedsthe extremities of an animal, esp. a horse or dog.
- British Terms[Railroads, Brit.]a switch.
- a single unit, as in counting.
- Gamesa unit of count in the score of a game:Our team won by five points.
- Games(in craps) the number that must be thrown to win but not including 7 or 11 on the first roll:Your point is 4.
- Sport[Ice Hockey.]either of two positions, to the right or left of the goal, to which an attacking defenseman is assigned, usually in the execution of a power play, to help keep the puck in the attacking zone.
- Sport[Basketball.]a position in the front court, usually taken by the guard in charge of setting up the team's offense.
- Sport[Cricket.]
- the position of the fielder who plays a short distance in front of and to the offside of the batsman.
- the fielder playing this position.
- Sport[Chiefly Boxing.]the end or tip (of the chin).
- Sport[Hunting.]
- the action of a hunting dog that indicates the presence and location of game by standing rigid and directing its head toward the game.
- the position taken by a hunting dog in pointing game.
- a branch of an antler of a deer:an eight-point buck.
- Sporta cross-country run.
- one of the narrow tapering spaces marked on a backgammon board.
- Educationa single credit, usually corresponding to an hour's class work per week for one semester.
- Electricity, Automotive
- , Electricity, AutomotiveAlso called breaker point. either of a pair of contacts tipped with tungsten or platinum that make or break current flow in a distributor, as in an automobile.
- Electricity[Brit.]an outlet or socket.
- Business[Com.]
- a unit of price quotation, as in the U.S., one dollar in stock transactions, one hundredth of a cent in cotton and coffee, or one cent in oil, grain, pork, etc.:The price of stock went up two points today.
- (esp. in motion pictures) a percentage point, usually of the gross profits, granted to someone who agrees to invest or otherwise participate in a business project:The star of the movie recieved a million dollar guarantee and five points.
- Banking, Businessone percent of the face value of a loan, esp. a mortgage loan, added on as a placement fee or a service charge and paid in advance or upon closing of the loan.
- Jewelrya unit of weight equal to 1⁄100 of a carat.
- Military
- Militarya patrol or reconnaissance unit that goes ahead of the advance party of an advance guard, or follows the rear party of the rear guard.
- the stroke in bayonet drill or combat.
- [Print.]
- Printinga unit of type measurement equal to 0.013835 inch (1⁄72 inch), or 1⁄12 pica. Cf. Didot point system.
- PrintingAlso called press-point. (in a press) one of several metal prongs for perforating the sheet so that it will be in register when the reverse is printed.
- Weights and Measuresa unit of measure of paper or card thickness, equal to 0.001 inch.
- MedicineSee vaccine point.
- TextilesSee point lace.
- Textilesany lace made by hand.
- Heraldryone of the pendent parts of a label.
- Rail Transport
- the vertex of the angle formed at a frog by two rails;
the intersection of gauge lines in a switch or frog. - British Termsa tapering movable rail, as in a railroad switch.
- Games(in the game of go) any place where lines intersect or meet.
- act of pointing.
- Clothing[Archaic.]a tagged ribbon or cord, formerly much used in dress, as for tying or fastening parts.
- [Obs.]an end or conclusion.
- Military[Obs.]a pointed weapon, as a dagger.
- [Obs.]condition.
- Idioms at, on, or upon the point of, on the verge of;
close to:on the point of death. - Idioms at this point in time, now;
at this precise moment in history:At this point in time the President believes peace has been achieved. - Idioms in point, that is pertinent;
applicable:a case in point. - Idioms in point of, as regards;
in reference to:in point of fact. - Idioms make a point of, to regard as important;
insist upon:She made a point of complimenting her friend's apartment. - Idioms make points with, [Informal.]to curry favor with:to make points with one's boss.Also, make Brownie points with.
- Idioms strain or stretch a point, to depart from the usual procedure or rule because of special circumstances;
make a concession or exception:Though the position required three years of previous experience, and he had only two, they stretched a point because of his outstanding record. - Idioms to the point, pertinent;
fitting:The reply was short and to the point. v.t. - to direct (the finger, a weapon, the attention, etc.) at, to, or upon something.
- to indicate the presence or position of (usually fol. by out):to point out an object in the sky.
- to direct attention to (usually fol. by out):to point out the advantages of a proposal.
- to furnish with a point or points;
sharpen:to point a lead pencil. - to mark with one or more points, dots, or the like.
- Fine Art[Sculpture.]to transfer measurements of depth from a clay, wax, or plaster model to (a block of stone) by means of an apparatus that drills holes to the required depth prior to carving.
- to punctuate, as writing.
- Linguistics, Phonetics[Phonet.]to mark (letters) with points.
- to separate (figures) by dots or points (usually fol. by off).
- to give greater or added force to (often fol. by up):to point up the necessity for caution.
- Sport[Hunting.](of a hunting dog) to indicate the presence and location of (game) by standing rigid and facing toward the game.
- Building[Masonry.]
- to fill the joints of (brickwork, stonework, etc.) with mortar or cement treated in various ways with tools after application.
- to dress the surface of (a stone) with a pointed tool.
- Buildingto dress (a stone) with a point.
- Metallurgy
- to narrow the end of (a rod) for passing through the dies of a drawbench.
- to narrow the end of (a tube) over the head of a pin that is gripped to pull the tube through the dies of a drawbench.
v.i. - to indicate position or direction, as with the finger.
- to direct the mind or thought in some direction;
call attention to:Everything points to his guilt. - to aim.
- to have a tendency toward something:Economic conditions point to further inflation.
- to have a specified direction:The sign pointed west.
- to face in a particular direction, as a building.
- Sport[Hunting.](of a hunting dog) to point game.
- Nautical, Naval Termsto sail close to the wind.
- Pathology(of an abscess) to come to a head.
- Middle French pointer, derivative of pointe (noun, nominal)
- Medieval Latin pūncta, noun, nominal use of Latin: feminine of past participle of pungere; (verb, verbal) Middle English pointen; partly derivative of the noun, nominal, partly
- Old French pointe sharp end
- Latin pūnctum, noun, nominal use of neuter past participle of pungere to prick, stab (compare pungent); partly
- Old French point dot, mark, place, moment
- 1175–1225; (noun, nominal) Middle English point(e); partly
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