point

Universal Words noun, verb noun opinion / fact 1 [C] a thing that sb says or writes giving their opinion or stating a fact: She made several interesting points in the article. * I take your point (= understand and accept what you are saying). * He's just saying that to prove a point (= to show his idea is right). * OK, you've made your point! seealsoTALKINGPOINT main idea 2 [C] (usually the point) the main or most important idea in sth that is said or done: The point is you shouldn't have to wait so long to see a doctor. * I wish he would get to the point (= say it quickly). * I'll come straight to the point: we need more money. * Do you see my point (= understand)? * I think I missed the point (= did not understand). * You have a point (= your idea is right)-it would be better to wait till this evening. * 'There won't be anywhere to park.' 'Oh, that's a (good) point.' (= I had not thought of that) * It just isn't true. That's the whole point (= the only important fact). * 'He's been married before.' 'That's beside the point.' (= not important) * I know it won't cost very much but that's not the point (= not the important thing). purpose 3 [U,sing.] the purpose or aim of sth: What's the point of all this violence? * There's no point in getting angry. * I don't see the point of doing it all again. * The point of the lesson is to compare the two countries. detail 4 [C] a particular detail or fact: Here are the main points of the news. * Can you explain that point again? quality 5 [C] a particular quality or feature that sb/sth has: Tact is not one of her strong points. * Read the manual to learn the program's finer points (= small details). * Living in Scotland has its good points but the weather is not one of them. * One of the hotel's plus points (= good features) is that it is very central. seealsoSELLINGPOINT time 6 [C] a particular time or stage of development: The climber was at / on the point of death when they found him. * We were on the point of giving up. * Many people suffer from mental illness at some point in their lives. * We had reached the point when there was no money left. * At this point in time we just have to wait. * At this point I don't care what you decide to do. seealsoHIGHPOINT, LOWPOINT, SATURATIONPOINT, STARTINGPOINT, STICKINGPOINT, TURNINGPOINT place 7 [C] a particular place or area: I'll wait for you at the meeting point in the arrivals hall. * the point at which the river divides * Draw a line from point A to point B. * No parking beyond this point. seealsoFOCALPOINT, JUMPING-OFFPOINT, THREE-POINTTURN, VANISHINGPOINT, VANTAGEPOINT direction 8 [C] one of the marks of direction around a COMPASS: the points of the compass (= N, S, E, W, etc.) in competition 9 [C] (abbreviation pt) an individual unit that adds to a score in a game or sports competition: to win / lose a point * Australia finished 20 points ahead. * They won on points (= by scoring more points rather than by completely defeating their opponents). seealsoBROWNIEPOINT, MATCHPOINT measurement 10 [C] a mark or unit on a scale of measurement: The party's share of the vote fell by ten percentage points. seealsoBOILINGPOINT, FREEZINGPOINT, MELTINGPOINT punctuation 11 [C] a small dot used in PUNCTUATION, especially the dot that separates a whole number from the part that comes after it: two point six (2.6) * a decimal point * We broadcast on ninety-five point nine (95.9) FM. sharp end 12 [C] the sharp thin end of sth: the point of a pencil / knife / pin seealsoBALLPOINT, GUNPOINT, KNIFEPOINT land 13 (also Point) a narrow piece of land that stretches into the sea: The ship sailed around the point. * Pagoda Point of light / colour 14 [C] a very small dot of light or colour: The stars were points of light in the sky. for electricity 15 [C] (BrE) a place in a wall, etc. where a piece of equipment can be connected to electricity: a power / shaver / telephone point in ballet 16 (points) [pl.] = POINTE on railway track 17 (points) [pl.] (BrE) (AmE switch [C]) a piece of track at a place where a railway/railroad line divides that can be moved to allow a train to change tracks size of letters 18 [U] a unit of measurement for the size of letters in printing or on a computer screen, etc: Change the text to 10 point. IDIOMS if / when it comes to the point used when you have to decide sth or say what you really think: When it comes to the point, he always changes his mind. in point of fact used to say what is true in a situation: In point of fact, she is their adopted daughter. make a point of doing sth to be or make sure you do sth because it is important or necessary: I made a point of closing all the windows before leaving the house. more to the point used to say that sth is more important than sth else: I couldn't do the job-I've never been to Spain and, more to the point, I don't speak Spanish. point of contact a place where you go or a person that you speak to when you are dealing with an organization: The receptionist is the first point of contact most people have with the clinic. a point of departure 1 a place where a journey starts 2 (formal) an idea, a theory or an event that is used to start a discussion, an activity, etc. a point of honour a thing that sb considers to be very important for their honour or reputation the point of no return the time when you must continue with what you have decided to do, because it is not possible to get back to an earlier situation point taken used to say that you accept that sb else is right when they have disagreed with you or criticized you: Point taken. Let's drop the subject. to the point expressed in a simple, clear way without any extra information or feelings: The letter was short and to the point. to the point of (doing) sth to a degree that can be described as sth: He was rude to the point of being aggressive. up to a (certain) point to some extent; to some degree but not completely: I agree with you up to a point. moreatBELABOUR, CASEn., FINEadj., LABOURv., MOOTadj., SCOREv., SOREadj., STRETCHv. verb show with finger 1 [nopassive] ~ (at / to / towards sb/sth) to stretch out your finger or sth held in your hand towards sb/sth in order to show sb where a person or thing is: [V] 'That's my mother,' she said, pointing at a photo on the wall. * It's rude to point! * He pointed to the spot where the house used to stand. * 'What's your name?' he asked, pointing at the child with his pen. * She pointed in my direction. * [VN] She pointed her finger in my direction. aim 2 [VN] ~ sth (at sb/sth) to aim sth at sb/sth: He pointed the gun at her head. * A hundred camera lenses were being pointed at her. face direction 3 [V+adv./prep.] to face in or be directed towards a particular direction: The telescope was pointing in the wrong direction. * The signpost pointed straight ahead. * A compass needle points north. lead to 4 [+adv./prep.] to lead to or suggest a particular development or logical argument: [V] The evidence seems to point in that direction. * [VN] The fans are looking to the new players to point the way to victory. show the way 5 [VN+adv./prep.] to show sb which way to go: I wonder if you could point me in the right direction for the bus station. * A series of yellow arrows pointed the way to reception. wall 6 [VN] to put MORTAR between the bricks of a wall: The house needs pointing before winter. IDIOMS point a / the finger (at sb) to accuse sb of doing sth: The article points an accusing finger at the authorities. PHRASALVERBS point sb/sth<->out (to sb) to stretch your finger out towards sb/sth in order to show sb which person or thing you are referring to: I'll point him out to you next time he comes in. * The guide pointed out various historic monuments. point out (to sb)