point
verb/pɔɪnt/
/pɔɪnt/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they point | /pɔɪnt/ /pɔɪnt/ |
| he / she / it points | /pɔɪnts/ /pɔɪnts/ |
| past simple pointed | /ˈpɔɪntɪd/ /ˈpɔɪntɪd/ |
| past participle pointed | /ˈpɔɪntɪd/ /ˈpɔɪntɪd/ |
| -ing form pointing | /ˈpɔɪntɪŋ/ /ˈpɔɪntɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive, transitive, no passive] to stretch out your finger or something held in your hand towards somebody/something in order to show somebody where a person or thing is
- point at somebody/something ‘What's your name?’ he asked, pointing at the child with his pen.
- ‘That's my mother,’ she said, pointing at a photo on the wall.
- point to somebody/something He pointed to the spot where the house used to stand.
- She shook her head and pointed to him again.
- point towards somebody/something He said my name and pointed towards me.
- point (+ adv./prep.) She pointed in my direction.
- It's rude to point!
- point something (+ adv./prep.) She pointed her finger in my direction.
- point with something (+ adv./prep.) She pointed with her finger at the map.
Extra Examples- Lee pointed accusingly at Tyler.
- The toddler pointed to the toy he wanted.
- He pointed in the direction of the beach.
- She pointed her stick at them.
- He felt that all the children in the school were pointing and laughing at him.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- accusingly
- downwards/downward
- upwards/upward
- …
- at
- in the direction of
- to
- …
- point straight at somebody/something
- point the way
- correctly
- rightly
- helpfully
- …
- must
- should
- try to
- …
- to
- clearly
- directly
- seem to
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- [transitive] to aim something at somebody/something
- point something at somebody/something He pointed the gun at her head.
- A hundred camera lenses were being pointed at her.
- point something He simply points the camera and shoots with simplicity and realism.
- [intransitive] + adv./prep. to face in or be directed towards a particular direction
- The telescope was pointing in the wrong direction.
- The signpost pointed straight ahead.
- A compass needle points north.
- The gun was pointing straight at me.
- The sign pointed right.
Extra Examples- Hold your palms together with the fingers pointing down.
- There were signs pointing to the church.
- Her feet were hip-width apart with the toes pointing forward.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- accusingly
- downwards/downward
- upwards/upward
- …
- at
- in the direction of
- to
- …
- point straight at somebody/something
- point the way
- correctly
- rightly
- helpfully
- …
- must
- should
- try to
- …
- to
- clearly
- directly
- seem to
- [intransitive, transitive] to direct your cursor at a particular point on the screen; to link to a particular web page
- Shopping on the Web is pretty simple—you just point and click and wait.
- point something at/to something Point your browser to www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com.
- [intransitive, transitive] to lead to or suggest a particular development or logical argument
- + adv./prep. The evidence seems to point in that direction.
- point the way + adv./prep. The fans are looking to the new players to point the way to victory.
Extra ExamplesTopics Opinion and argumentc1- Fragments of woven cloth at the site clearly point to the production of textiles.
- The symptoms point directly to appendicitis.
- [transitive] to show somebody which way to go
- point somebody + adv./prep. I wonder if you could point me in the right direction for the bus station.
- point the way (+ adv./prep.) A series of yellow arrows pointed the way to reception.
- ‘You must cross that field,’ she said, pointing the way.
- [transitive] point something to stretch your toes and foot so that they form a straight line with your leg
- Reach up with your arms and point your toes.
- [transitive] point something to put mortar (= a mixture of sand, water, etc that becomes hard when dry) between the bricks, stones, etc. used to build a wall
- The house needs pointing before winter.
show with finger
aim
face direction
on a computer
lead to
show the way
toes
wall
Word OriginMiddle English: the noun partly from Old French point, from Latin punctum ‘something that is pricked’, giving rise to the senses ‘unit, mark, point in space or time’; partly from Old French pointe, from Latin puncta ‘pricking’, giving rise to the senses ‘sharp tip, promontory’. The verb is from Old French pointer, and in some senses from the English noun.
Idioms
See point in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee point in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishpoint a/the finger (at somebody)
- to accuse somebody of doing something
- The article points an accusing finger at the authorities.
Check pronunciation:
point