pointe
Americannoun
plural
pointes-
the tip of the toe.
-
a position on the extreme tips of the toes.
idioms
noun
Etymology
Origin of pointe
1820–30; < French: pointe ( du pied ) “tiptoe,” literally, “extremity of the foot”
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.
The shimmering and pellucid choreographic poem presents its central woman as if arriving on a breeze by way of skimming steps on pointe and ultimately exiting as breezily as she arrived.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 13, 2025
Her classes were three hours long; you would do an hour at the barre, an hour on pointe and an hour on the floor.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2025
I want her to read about Ingrid Silva, the Brazilian ballerina from the Dance Theater of Harlem, who, pregnant and in pointe shoes, graced the cover of Vogue Brazil in 2020.
From Salon • Aug. 4, 2024
The answer was on her Instagram later: Her pointe shoe had slipped off.
From Seattle Times • May 23, 2024
An autographed pointe shoe from Noelani Pantastico, my favorite principal dancer.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
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.
