point

a tapering extremity: the points of the fingers.

something having a sharp or tapering end: a pen point.

a pointed tool or instrument, as an etching needle.

a stone implement with a tapering end found in some Middle and Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic cultures and used primarily for hunting.

a mark made with or as if with the sharp end of something: Her sharp heels left points in the carpet.

any mark of punctuation, especially a period.

decimal point: Numerically, “three point thirty-six” is written as 3.36, which is only slightly greater in value than three and a third.

Phonetics. a diacritic indicating a vowel or other modification of sound.

one of the embossed dots used in certain systems of writing and printing for the blind.

something that has position but not extension, as the intersection of two lines.

a place of which the position alone is considered; spot: We're leaving for Chicago and points west.

any definite position, as in a scale, course, etc.: the boiling point.

(in acupuncture) a particular spot on the body at which a needle may be inserted, as to relieve pain.

Navigation. any of 32 separate horizontal directions, 11° 15′ apart, as indicated on the card of a compass or gauged with reference to the heading of a vessel.

Nautical.Also called point of sail·ing . the bearing of a sailing vessel, considered with relation to the direction of the wind.

a degree or stage: frankness to the point of insult.

a particular instant of time: It was at that point that I told him he'd said enough.

a critical position in a course of affairs: Morale had reached a low point.

a decisive state of circumstances: He reached the point where he could no longer pay his debts.

the important or essential thing: the point of the matter.

the salient feature of a story, epigram, joke, etc.:to miss the point.

a particular aim, end, or purpose: He carried his point.

a hint or suggestion: points on getting a job.

a single or separate article or item, as in an extended whole; a detail or particular: the fine points of a contract.

an individual part or element of something: noble points in her character.

a distinguishing mark or quality, especially one of an animal, used as a standard in stockbreeding, judging, etc.

points, the external features of an animal, especially a horse or dog, that make up its conformation: Besides the withers, pastern, and barrel, how many points of the horse can you identify?

a single unit, as in counting.

a unit of count in the score of a game: Our team won by five points.

(in craps) the number that must be thrown to win but not including 7 or 11 on the first roll: Your point is 4.

Ice Hockey. either of two positions, to the right or left of the goal, to which an attacking defenseman is assigned, usually in the execution of a power play, to help keep the puck in the attacking zone.

Basketball. a position in the front court, usually taken by the guard in charge of setting up the team's offense.

Cricket.

Chiefly Boxing. the end or tip (of the chin).

Hunting.

a branch of an antler of a deer: an eight-point buck.

Sports. a cross-country run.

one of the narrow tapering spaces marked on a backgammon board.

Education. a single credit, usually corresponding to an hour's class work per week for one semester.

Electricity.

Commerce.

any of various units used to award credit, benefits, or penalties:You will get points on your license for certain traffic violations. Earn points every time you use the credit card at restaurants.

one percent of the face value of a loan, especially a mortgage loan, added on as a placement fee or a service charge and paid in advance or upon closing of the loan.

Jewelry. a unit of weight equal to 1/100 (.01) of a carat.

Military.

Printing.

a unit of measure of paper or card thickness, equal to 0.001 inch.

Medicine/Medical.Also called vac·cine point . (in historical use) a thin, pointed, vaccine-coated piece of bone or the like, for use in vaccinating.

point lace.

any lace made by hand.

Heraldry. one of the pendent parts of a label.

Railroads.

(in the game of go) any place where lines intersect or meet.

act of pointing.

Archaic. a tagged ribbon or cord, formerly much used in dress, as for tying or fastening parts.

Obsolete. an end or conclusion.

Obsolete. a pointed weapon, as a dagger.

Obsolete. a condition, situation, or plight: to be feeling in good point.

to direct attention to (usually followed by out): to point out the advantages of a proposal.

to furnish with a point or points; sharpen: to point a lead pencil.

to mark with one or more points, dots, or the like.

Sculpture. to transfer measurements of depth from a clay, wax, or plaster model to (a block of stone) by means of an apparatus that drills holes to the required depth prior to carving.

to punctuate, as writing.

Phonetics. to mark (letters) with points.

to separate (figures) by dots or points (usually followed by off).

Hunting. (of a hunting dog) to indicate the presence and location of (game) by standing rigid and facing toward the game.

Masonry.

to dress (a stone) with a point.

Metalworking.

to aim: The police officer pointed at the speeding car, turned on his lights and siren, and set off in pursuit.

to have a tendency toward something: Economic conditions point to further inflation.

to have a specified direction: The sign pointed west.

to face in a particular direction, as a building.

Hunting. (of a hunting dog) to point game.

Nautical. to sail close to the wind.

(of an abscess) to come to a head.

any dot or mark used in writing or printing, such as a decimal point or a full stop

short for vowel point

the sharp tapered end of a pin, knife, etc

a pin, needle, or other object having such a point

maths

a promontory, usually smaller than a cape

a specific condition or degree

a moment: at that point he left the room

an important or fundamental reason, aim, etc: the point of this exercise is to train new teachers

an essential element or thesis in an argument: you've made your point; I take your point

a suggestion or tip

a detail or item

an important or outstanding characteristic, physical attribute, etc: he has his good points

a distinctive characteristic or quality of an animal, esp one used as a standard in judging livestock

(often plural) any of the extremities, such as the tail, ears, or feet, of a domestic animal

ballet (often plural) the tip of the toes

a single unit for measuring or counting, as in the scoring of a game

Australian rules football an informal name for behind (def. 11)

printing a unit of measurement equal to one twelfth of a pica, or approximately 0.01384 inch. There are approximately 72 points to the inch

finance

nautical

cricket

any of the numbers cast in the first throw in craps with which one neither wins nor loses by throwing them: 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10

either of the two electrical contacts that make or break the current flow in the distributor of an internal-combustion engine

British (often plural) a junction of railway tracks in which a pair of rails can be moved so that a train can be directed onto either of two lines: US and Canadian equivalent: switch

(often plural) a piece of ribbon, cord, etc, with metal tags at the end: used during the 16th and 17th centuries to fasten clothing

backgammon a place or position on the board

British

an aggressive position adopted in bayonet or sword drill

military the position at the head of a body of troops, or a person in this position

the position of the body of a pointer or setter when it discovers game

boxing a mark awarded for a scoring blow, knockdown, etc

any diacritic used in a writing system, esp in a phonetic transcription, to indicate modifications of vowels or consonants

jewellery a unit of weight equal to 0.01 carat

the act of pointing

ice hockey the position just inside the opponents' blue line

beside the point not pertinent; irrelevant

case in point a specific, appropriate, or relevant instance or example

in point of in the matter of; regarding

make a point of

not to put too fine a point on it to speak plainly and bluntly

on the point of or at the point of at the moment immediately before a specified condition, action, etc, is expected to begin: on the point of leaving the room

score points off to gain an advantage at someone else's expense

stretch a point

to the point pertinent; relevant

up to a point not completely

(tr) to direct or cause to go or face in a specific direction or towards a place or goal: point me in the right direction

(tr) to sharpen or taper

(intr) (of gun dogs) to indicate the place where game is lying by standing rigidly with the muzzle turned in its direction

(tr) to finish or repair the joints of (brickwork, masonry, etc) with mortar or cement

(tr) music to mark (a psalm text) with vertical lines to indicate the points at which the music changes during chanting

to steer (a sailing vessel) close to the wind or (of a sailing vessel) to sail close to the wind

(tr) phonetics to provide (a letter or letters) with diacritics

(tr) to provide (a Hebrew or similar text) with vowel points