pointer

American  

[poin-ter] / ˈpɔɪn tər /

noun

1. a person or thing that points.

2. a long, tapering stick used by teachers, lecturers, etc., in pointing things out on a map, blackboard, or the like.

3. the hand on a watch dial, clock face, scale, etc.

4. Military. the member of an artillery crew who aims the weapon.

5. one of a breed of short-haired hunting dogs trained to point game.

6. a piece of advice, especially on how to succeed in a specific area.

   The food expert gave some good pointers on making better salads.

   Synonyms:

   caution, suggestion, hint, tip

7. Computers.

   1. an identifier giving the location in storage of something of interest, as a data item, table, or subroutine.

   2. a moveable icon in a graphical user interface, as an arrow, that marks the user’s location in the interface relative to areas of the screen where user input is possible.

8. Astronomy. Pointers, the two outer stars of the Big Dipper that lie on a line that passes very near Polaris and are used for finding it.

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pointer British  

/ ˈpɔɪntə /

noun

1. a person or thing that points

2. an indicator on a measuring instrument

3. a long rod or cane used by a lecturer to point to parts of a map, blackboard, etc

4. one of a breed of large swift smooth-coated dogs, usually white with black, liver, or lemon markings: when on shooting expeditions it points to the bird with its nose, body, and tail in a straight line

5. a helpful piece of information or advice

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Etymology

Origin of pointer

First recorded in 1490–1500; point + -er ¹

Example Sentences

There’s a spaceship in my garage, and I own a multipurpose ray gun disguised as a laser pointer.

From Literature

Jane regularly does digit “workouts” and complains her pointers are sore.

From The Wall Street Journal

"We became quite silent when we found the first bone," he said, adding that there were several pointers indicating that the skeleton belonged to the Sun King's right-hand man.

From BBC

Suddenly I pictured Tansy with Miss Myrt’s pointer in her grip.

From Literature

Consumer experts generally agree with my approach, and add a few pointers.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• clue