Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

fingertip

American  
[fing-ger-tip] / ˈfɪŋ gərˌtɪp /

noun

  • fingertips
    plural
  1. the tip or end of a finger.

  2. a covering used to protect the end joint of a finger.


adjective

  1. extending to the fingertips, as a coat, veil, etc..

    a fingertip jacket.

idioms

  1. at one's fingertips,

    1. close at hand; easily or immediately available.

    2. at one's command or disposal, as recall of factual information.

      He has the answer at his fingertips.

  2. to one's fingertips, thoroughly; perfectly.

    She was a politician to her fingertips.

fingertip British  
/ ˈfɪŋɡəˌtɪp /

noun

  1. the end joint or tip of a finger

  2. another term for fingerstall

  3. readily available and within one's mental grasp

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of fingertip

First recorded in 1835–45; finger + tip 1

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:

Though he didn’t lay a fingertip on the basketball, Robinson accomplished his mission, stretching his long arms into an obstacle even the super-sized Wembanyama couldn’t shoot over cleanly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

Where Robinson excelled was in expert use of the helpful conditions with immaculate line and length, topped off with fingertip control to have the ball skipping off the seam.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

They created a compact optical amplifier, about the size of a fingertip, that can strengthen light signals while using very little energy and maintaining full bandwidth.

From Science Daily ● May 5, 2026

“The tow handle can pinch consumers’ fingertips against the cooler, posing fingertip amputation and crushing hazards,” the recall announced Thursday stated.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2025

She pressed her fingertip to the tabletop, as if Amado was standing right there.

From "Hello, Universe" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Thank you, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, for bringing human knowledge to our fingertips, for “free.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Hanging from a cliff edge by their fingertips.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

With the weather app at our fingertips these days, it can be hard to imagine just how difficult it was to forecast the weather in the 1940s, especially in Northern Europe.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026

Many remember him as one of the “zip-tie guys”—he was photographed crossing the Senate floor in tactical gear, white flex-cuffs dangling from his fingertips.

From Slate ● May 28, 2026

I reach the desk and touch my fingertips to the top book: Beyond the Wildflowers, by J. A. Corsair.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Just like flashcards, but way more fun

Don't take our word for it. Leave the boring studying behind and join VocabTrainer today. You'll learn even faster and never look back.

Take me to Vocabulary.com