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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:

Leading the morning's fingertip search was seagrass supremo Tim Ferrero, from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.

From BBC Jul. 20, 2026

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

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

A uranium-fuel pellet the size of a fingertip packs as much energy as roughly one ton of coal or 149 gallons of oil.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 24, 2026

“Wow,” Maggie said, sliding a fingertip over the mermaid.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen

With the riches of the sea at their fingertips, British colonial officials sought new methods of extraction.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 6, 2026

Which is so different now because everything’s at your fingertips, so you can’t really rely on like pulling back some nostalgia moment because it’s always around anyway now with the internet.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 10, 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

Mice can regenerate the tips of their digits, and humans can sometimes regrow fingertips if the nailbed remains intact after injury, allowing skin, flesh, and bone to regenerate.

From Science Daily May 9, 2026

I half expected the sunflower leaves to dissolve like smoke under my fingertips, but instead, they felt solid and scratchy.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

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