any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
"her fingers were long and thin"
the length of breadth of a finger used as a linear measure
"The recipe called for two fingers' width of dough, so I patted it out until my hand covered that exact span."
one of the parts of a glove that provides covering for a finger or thumb
"The baseball player pulled off his old mitt, revealing the torn fabric where the index finger had been missing."
A slender jointed extremity of the human hand, (often) exclusive of the thumb.
"She held her index finger up to silence him before he could speak again."
In plain English: A finger is one of the four or five movable parts on your hand that you use to touch and grab things.
"She pointed to her favorite seat with an outstretched finger."
Usage: Use "finger" to refer to any of the four slender digits on your hand that are not the thumb. It describes the body part used for grasping or pointing, distinct from the larger thumb at the base of the hand.
search for on the computer
"I fingered my boss and found that he is not logged on in the afternoons"
indicate the fingering for the playing of musical scores for keyboard instruments
"The teacher carefully pointed to each note on the staff and explained exactly which finger should press it down when practicing the piano piece."
To identify or point out. Also put the finger on. To report to or identify for the authorities, rat on, rat out, squeal on, tattle on, turn in.
"The witness decided to put a finger on the thief and immediately called the police to report him."
In plain English: To finger something means to touch it with your fingers, often by running them over its surface.
"He accidentally fingered the button while reaching for his phone."
Usage: As a verb, to finger someone means to accuse them of a crime or identify them as responsible for an offense, often used with the preposition "on" as in "fingering the suspect." This usage specifically refers to pointing out a person so they can be reported to authorities rather than merely indicating something abstract.
A surname.
"The local news reported that Mr. Finger was elected to serve on the town council."
The word "finger" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *pénkʷe, meaning "five," because fingers were originally counted in groups of five. This ancient concept traveled through Old English and Middle English to become the modern term we use today.