Pointer Meaning
/ˈpɔɪn.tə/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounAnything that points or is used for pointing.
nounAnything that points or is used for pointing., One who points.
Sentence Examples
Our pointer took off after a big deer.
The compass pointer always seeks north.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The presenter used a long stick with a red tip as a ____ to indicate key parts of the chart.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The teacher used a long ____ to indicate the relevant section of the map on the board.
Word Origin & History
From point + -er (agent noun suffix) or + -er (measurement suffix) (sense 4).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The talkers and pointers had undermined him. They had touched him with the acid of their suspicions, and the corrosion spread until he himself had lost sight of the truth."
— 1972, Lynn Hall, Sticks and Stones:
"The man he addressed drew back in horror, but answered the musketeer’s words by pointing his finger. Athos offered the man a half pistole to accompany him, but the man refused. Athos went down the street that the pointer had indicated to him with his finger; […]"
— 2006, Alexandre Dumas, translated by Richard Pevear, The Three Musketeers, Viking, →ISBN, pages 645–646:
"“Hey,” the finger pointer said, re-pointing his finger at Joe, “are you a joke or what?” / “I don't think I'm a joke.” / “Well I think you're a joke.” He dropped his hand and then lifted it again and pointed his finger at Joe's chest."
— 2010, Donald Junkins, Half Hitch, iUniverse, →ISBN:
"One man pointed his finger at another, nearly poking the tip of it into the man’s chest. I sidled closer and heard the pointer accuse the other man of cheating."
— 2020, J.M. Griffin, Who’s Dead, Doc?, Kensington Books, →ISBN:
"Most of the early wirehaired pointers represented a combination of Griffon, Stichelhaar, Pudelpointer, and German Shorthair. The Pudelpointer was a cross between a Poodle dog and an English Pointer bitch; the Griffon and the Stichelhaar were composed of Pointer, Foxhound, Pudelpointer, and a Polish water dog."
— 2007, American Kennel Club, The Complete Dog Book, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 30:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The presenter used a long stick with a red tip as a ____ to indicate key parts of the chart.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The teacher used a long ____ to indicate the relevant section of the map on the board.