point

noun

• 1the tapered, sharp end of a tool, weapon, or other object:the point of his dagger a pencil point
• Archaeology a pointed flake or blade, especially one that has been worked.
• Balletanother term for pointe.
• Boxing the tip of a person’s chin as a spot for a blow: Andrews caught him on the point
• the prong of a deer’s antler: a fine buck of eight points

• 2a dot or other punctuation mark, in particular a full stop.
• a decimal point:fifty-five point nine
• a dot or small stroke used in Semitic languages to indicate vowels or distinguish particular consonants.
• a very small dot or mark:the sky was studded with points of light

• 3a particular spot, place, or position in an area or on a map, object, or surface:turn left at the point where you see a sign to Appleford the furthermost point of the gallery the check-in point
• a particular moment in time or stage in a process:from this point onwards the teacher was completely won over
• (usually the point) the critical or decisive moment:when it came to the point he would probably do what was expected of him
• (the point of) the verge or brink of (doing or being something):she was on the point of leaving
• [usually with modifier] a stage or level at which a change of state occurs:local kennels are full to bursting point
• [with modifier] British a socket in a wall for connecting a device to an electrical supply or communications network:a power point
• (in geometry) something having position but not spatial extent, magnitude, dimension, or direction, for example the intersection of two lines.

• 4a single item or detail in an extended discussion, list, or text:the main points of the Edinburgh agreement
• an argument or idea:he made the point that economic regulation involves controls on pricing
• (usually the point) the significant or essential element of something being planned or discussed:it took her a long time to come to the point
• [in singular, usually with negative or in questions] advantage or purpose that can be gained from doing something:there was no point in denying the truth what’s the point of having things I don’t need?
• [mass noun] relevance or effectiveness.
• a distinctive feature or characteristic, typically a good one, of a person or thing:he has his good points

• 5(in sports and games) a mark or unit of scoring awarded for success or performance:he kicked a penalty goal to put Bangor eight points ahead
• a unit used in measuring value, achievement, or extent:the shares index was down seven points
• an advantage or success in an argument or discussion:she smiled, assuming she had won her point
• a unit of credit towards an award or benefit:points were allocated according to the inadequacy of the existing accommodation
• a percentage of the profits from a film or recording offered to certain people involved in its production.
• (point of) (in piquet) the longest suit in a player’s hand, containing a specified number of up to eight cards.
• a unit of weight (2 mg) for diamonds.
• a unit of varying value, used in quoting the price of stocks, bonds, or futures.
• Bridge a value assigned to certain cards (4 points for an ace, 3 for a king, 2 for a queen, and 1 for a jack, sometimes with extra points for long or short suits) by a player in assessing the strength of their hand: in Acol it is permissible to open with only twelve points

• 6each of thirty-two directions marked at equal distances round a compass.
• a direction towards the horizon corresponding to the direction marked on a compass.
• the angular interval between two successive points of a compass, i.e. one eighth of a right angle (11° 15ʹ).
• (points ——) unspecified places considered in terms of their direction from a specified place:they headed down Highway 401 to Ontario and points west

• 7a narrow piece of land jutting out into the sea:the boat came round the point [in names]:Blakeney Point

• 8 (usually points) British a junction of two railway lines, with a pair of linked tapering rails that can be moved laterally to allow a train to pass from one line to the other: the train gave a lurch as it passed over the points

• 9 Printing a unit of measurement for type sizes and spacing (in the UK and US 0.351 mm, in Europe 0.376 mm).

• 10 Cricket a fielding position on the off side near the batsman.
• a fielder at the point position.
• Ice Hockey either of two areas to the left and right of the net, just inside the blue line where it meets the boards.

• 11 (usually points) (in a motor vehicle) each of a set of electrical contacts in the distributor.

• 12a small leading party of an advanced guard of troops.
• [mass noun] chiefly North American the position at the head of a column or wedge of troops:he walked point and I took the tail
• chiefly North Americanshort for point man.

• 13 (usually points) the extremities of an animal, typically a horse or cat, such as the face, paws, and tail of a Siamese cat: a pure white dog with black points

• 14 Hunting a spot to which a straight run is made.
• a straight run:our fox made his point to Moorhill

• 15 (usually points) historical a tagged piece of ribbon or cord used for lacing a garment or attaching a hose to a doublet.

• 16a short piece of cord at the lower edge of a sail for tying up a reef.

• 17 [mass noun] the action or position of a dog in pointing:a bird dog on point

• 18 Music an important phrase or subject, especially in a contrapuntal composition.

verb

• 1 [no object] direct someone’s attention towards something by extending one’s finger or something held in one’s hand:the lads were nudging each other and pointing at me
• [with adverbial] indicate a particular time, direction, or reading:a sign pointing left
• [with object] direct or aim (something) at someone or something:he pointed the torch beam at the floor
• [with adverbial of direction] face or be turned in a particular direction:two of its toes point forward and two point back

• 2 [no object, with adverbial] cite a fact or situation as evidence of something:he points to several factors supporting this conclusion
• (point to) (of a fact or situation) indicate that (something) is likely to happen or be the case:everything pointed to an Eastern attack
• [with object] give force or emphasis to (words or actions):he wouldn’t miss the opportunity to point a moral

• 3 [with object] chiefly Ballet extend (the toes) by tensing the foot and ankle so as to form a point: reach up with your arms and point your toes

• 4 [with object] fill the joints of (brickwork or masonry) with smoothly finished mortar: the bricks have been poorly pointed

• 5 [with object] give a sharp, tapered point to:he twisted and pointed his moustache

• 6 [with object] insert points in (written text of Semitic languages).
• mark (Psalms) with signs for chanting.

• 7 [with object] (of a dog) indicate the presence of (game) by standing rigid while looking towards it.