pointing

verb

Form of point , present participle of point.

Simple meaning

To extend the index finger in the direction of something to show where it is or to draw attention to it.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

poynting

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US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈpɔɪntɪŋ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

present participle of point
To extend the index finger in the direction of something in order to show where it is or to draw attention to it.
present participle of point
To draw attention to something or indicate a direction.
present participle of point
To give a point to; to sharpen; to cut, forge, grind, or file to an acute end.
present participle of point
To face in a particular direction.

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To extend the index finger in the direction of something in order to show where it is or to draw attention to it.

Used this way, pointing is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone: Neutral
Formality: Neutral
Intensity: Not strongly marked
How common: Moderately common
Connotation: No strong connotation
Usage feel: Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Extend / draw

finger pointingarrow pointing

Face

pointing device

Other combinations

worth pointingafter pointingevidence pointingpointing straightpointing upward

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

pointnounBase word
A geometric element that has position but no extension.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

pointernounPerson or profession
A mark to indicate a direction or relation.
pointlessadjectiveDerived adjective
Not having a point especially a sharp point.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

pointing outnounCompound term
Indication by demonstration.
pointing trowelnounCompound term
A trowel used to fill and finish masonry joints with mortar or cement.
finger-pointingnounCompound term
The imputation of blame.
wire-haired pointing griffonnounCompound term
Breed of medium-sized long-headed dogs with downy undercoat and harsh wiry outer coat.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.