finger
Americannoun
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fingers
plural
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any of the terminal members of the hand, especially one other than the thumb.
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a part of a glove made to receive a finger.
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Zoology. a projection at the tip of an elephant’s trunk that facilitates dexterity essential for grasping.
If there are two fingers, it must be an African elephant, as the Asian elephant has only one.
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the breadth of a finger as a unit of measurement; digit.
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the length of a finger: approximately 4½ inches (11 centimeters).
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Slang. an informer or spy.
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something like a finger in form or use, as a projection or pointer.
a finger of land leading out into the bay;
the finger on the speedometer.
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any of various projecting parts of machines.
verb (used with object)
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fingers,
present (3rd person singular)
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fingered,
past participle, past
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fingering
present participle
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to touch with the fingers; toy or meddle with; handle.
I couldn't refrain from fingering the beautiful silk scarves.
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to touch with the fingers so as to mar or spoil.
Please don't finger the vegetables.
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Music.
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to play on (an instrument) with the fingers.
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to perform or mark (a passage of music) with a certain fingering.
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Slang.
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to inform against or identify (a criminal) to the authorities.
He fingered the man who robbed the bank.
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to designate as a victim, as of murder or other crime.
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Slang: Vulgar. to stimulate (the vagina or anus) for sexual gratification by penetration with one or more fingers.
verb (used without object)
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fingers,
present (3rd person singular)
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fingered,
past participle, past
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fingering
present participle
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to touch or handle something with the fingers.
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to extend in or as in the shape of a finger.
Landing piers finger out into the river along the city's shoreline.
idioms
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give (someone) the finger, to express contempt for (someone) by or as if by making the obscene gesture of pointing the middle finger upward while folding the other fingers against the palm and turning the back of the hand outward: Also flip (someone) the bird
Someone gave me the finger for driving too slow.
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have a finger in the pie,
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to have an interest or share in something.
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to meddle in something.
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burn one's fingers, to suffer injury or loss by meddling or by acting rashly.
If you get involved in the controversy, you may burn your fingers.
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snap one's fingers (at), to exhibit disdain or contempt (for).
She snaps her fingers at the local gossip.
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slip through one's fingers,
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to elude one, as an opportunity not taken; escape.
She let the chance of a lifetime slip through her fingers.
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to pass or be consumed quickly.
Money just slips through his fingers.
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keep one's fingers crossed, to wish for good luck or success, as in a specific endeavor.
Keep your fingers crossed that I get the job.
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twist / wrap around one's little finger, to exert one's influence easily or successfully upon.
He has a remarkable talent for twisting people around his little finger.
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lay / put one's finger on,
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put the finger on, finger.
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not lift a finger, to make not even a small attempt; do nothing.
The house was falling into ruin, but he wouldn't lift a finger to repair it.
noun
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Technical name: digitus manus. any of the digits of the hand, often excluding the thumb
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( as modifier )
a finger bowl
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( in combination )
a fingernail
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the part of a glove made to cover a finger
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something that resembles a finger in shape or function
a finger of land
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Also called: digit. the length or width of a finger used as a unit of measurement
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a quantity of liquid in a glass, etc, as deep as a finger is wide; tot
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a projecting machine part, esp one serving as an indicator, guide, or guard
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to suffer from having meddled or been rash
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informal to begin or speed up activity, esp after initial delay or slackness
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to have an interest in or take part in some activity
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to meddle or interfere
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(usually negative) to harm
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to indicate, identify, or locate accurately
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to allow to escape; miss narrowly
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(foll by an infinitive) not to make any effort (to do something)
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to accuse or blame
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informal
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to inform on or identify, esp for the police
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to choose (the victim or location of an intended crime)
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to have easy and complete control or influence over
verb
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(tr) to touch or manipulate with the fingers; handle
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informal (tr) to identify as a criminal or suspect
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(intr) to extend like a finger
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to use one's fingers in playing (an instrument, such as a piano or clarinet)
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to indicate on (a composition or part) the fingering required by a pianist, harpsichordist, etc
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(tr; usually passive) to arrange the keys of (a clarinet, flute, etc) for playing in a certain way
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fingersimple
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fingerssimple
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have fingeredperfect
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has fingeredperfect
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am fingeringprogressive
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are fingeringprogressive
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is fingeringprogressive
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have been fingeringperfect progressive
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has been fingeringperfect progressive
Past
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fingeredsimple
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had fingeredperfect
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was fingeringprogressive
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were fingeringprogressive
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had been fingeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of finger
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with German Finger, Dutch vinger, Old Norse fingr, Gothic figgrs
Explanation
Your fingers are the four digits on each of your hands—or five if you include your thumb. We use our fingers for holding things, scratching, snapping, finger painting, and much more. Our fingers help us sense the world around us and manipulate or move things. Using your fingers, you can play the piano, speak in sign language, and flash a peace sign by forming a V with your first two fingers. As a verb, this word means to touch something with your fingers: "He nervously fingers his tie as he waits for his job interview." Finger stems from a root word meaning "five."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Secular Israelis were prepared with a counter-protest, blowing whistles to drown out the chants and with some wearing pink lapel buttons showing a middle finger.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
It is rare for the alliance to point a finger at Moscow so quickly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Galactic power and privilege literally placed themselves on Hal’s finger simply because he answered one question correctly.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
I’m back from a matrimonial break with a pep in my step and a shiny new ring on my finger.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026
Little Britches poked a small finger at the page.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Another said, “You can’t snap your fingers and get a spouse on demand, sadly.”
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
Tuxedo kitten Paolina bounced onto my chest and licked my fingers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
The better strategy would be to put up four fingers, load the bases and bring Raleigh up to the plate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Now, bring your fingers together with your thumb holding down your little finger and rest the bottom of the three remaining fingers on the horizon again.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Anna May drummed her fingers against the table.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
"It's more a theme park than a shopping mall," Germany supporter Michael Karg, 48, said as he fingered through an A-Z list of restaurants on a digital directory.
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
Speculation has fingered everyone from political insiders to drug traffickers as the ones behind Colosio’s assassination, which contributed to a sense of upheaval in Mexico.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2025
So it didn't take long for Mr Freeman – legally known as Desmond Filby – to be fingered as the alleged culprit.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2025
And while a species commonly known as "the rat flea" has been fingered as the main culprit in plague outbreaks, a species known as "the human flea" may play a secondary role.
From Science Daily ● May 1, 2024
Hanako fingered her braid to make sure it felt like it did when Mama braided it.
From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata
Chopin sought to convey these moods through explicit performing directions about fingering, pedaling and slurring.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
"I tend now to play parts of chords, rather than fingering the whole damn thing. I use these shortcuts that would be a nightmare for a guitar teacher."
From BBC ● Nov. 21, 2023
For more than a decade, scientists have debated which animals alive today hail from that earliest sister, fingering two phyla as the most likely candidates: sponges and comb jellies.
From Science Magazine ● May 17, 2023
She had a leopard scarf elegantly wrapped around her head and was fingering a glittering ring and staring blankly into the distance.
From Reuters ● Feb. 7, 2023
Because numbers are used in music to identify everything from beats to intervals to harmonics to what fingering to use, this naming system is sometimes less confusing.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
