pinpoint
Americanverb
noun
-
an insignificant or trifling thing
-
the point of a pin
-
(modifier) exact
a pinpoint aim
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
pinpointsimple
-
pinpointssimple
-
have pinpointedperfect
-
has pinpointedperfect
-
am pinpointingprogressive
-
are pinpointingprogressive
-
is pinpointingprogressive
-
have been pinpointingperfect progressive
-
has been pinpointingperfect progressive
Past
-
pinpointedsimple
-
had pinpointedperfect
-
was pinpointingprogressive
-
were pinpointingprogressive
-
had been pinpointingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pinpoint
Explanation
To pinpoint something is to nail down its exact location. The point of a pin is very small and fine. Similarly, when you pinpoint something, you have narrowed down its location to the smallest possibility: you've found out exactly where it is. The government is constantly trying to pinpoint the location of terrorists, just as police try to pinpoint the location of criminals. Dogs can pinpoint many things through smell. It's often hard to pinpoint which car is producing an annoying car alarm. When you pinpoint something, you've found it.
Vocabulary lists containing pinpoint
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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.
Despite its importance, scientists have struggled to pinpoint exactly what drives the disease, making it difficult to develop effective treatments.
From Science Daily • Jul. 3, 2026
"The boys were in such shock they couldn't quite pinpoint exactly where he was in the reservoir," she said.
From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026
Regulators introduced the annual stress tests after the 2008-09 financial crisis as a way to gauge banks’ health and pinpoint areas of risk that stressful economic conditions might expose.
From Barron's • Jun. 24, 2026
He didn’t pinpoint exactly when the farm made the change, throwing out dates from two years ago to last summer.
From Salon • Jun. 22, 2026
It is easy to pinpoint the minute when my friend Branwell began his silence.
From "Silent To The Bone" by E.L. Konigsburg
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.
