a geometric element that has position but no extension
"a point is defined by its coordinates"
the precise location of something; a spatially limited location
"she walked to a point where she could survey the whole street"
a brief version of the essential meaning of something
"get to the point"
"he missed the point of the joke"
"life has lost its point"
the unit of counting in scoring a game or contest
"he scored 20 points in the first half"
"a touchdown counts 6 points"
a style in speech or writing that arrests attention and has a penetrating or convincing quality or effect
"The lawyer's closing argument had such a sharp point that the jury immediately leaned forward to listen."
any of 32 horizontal directions indicated on the card of a compass
"he checked the point on his compass"
a linear unit used to measure the size of type; approximately 1/72 inch
"The designer adjusted the font size down by two points so the headline would fit perfectly within the narrow column."
one percent of the total principal of a loan; it is paid at the time the loan is made and is independent of the interest on the loan
"The bank charged me three points upfront when I took out the mortgage, which was a separate fee from my monthly interest payments."
a punctuation mark (.) placed at the end of a declarative sentence to indicate a full stop or after abbreviations
"in England they call a period a stop"
the dot at the left of a decimal fraction
"She carefully placed a small point between three and four to show that it was thirty-four hundredths."
the property of a shape that tapers to a sharp tip
"The needle's fine point easily pierced the fabric without leaving a hole around it."
a distinguishing or individuating characteristic
"he knows my bad points as well as my good points"
a wall socket
"I couldn't get my phone to charge, so I plugged it into another point on the kitchen counter."
a contact in the distributor; as the rotor turns its projecting arm contacts them and current flows to the spark plugs
"As the engine's rotor spins, its point acts like a dedicated contact that sends electricity from the distributor directly to each spark plug."
A discrete division of something.
"The new grading system divides each exam into ten distinct points to measure performance more accurately."
An individual element in a larger whole; a particular detail, thought, or quality.
"The new report highlights several key points regarding the company's financial stability that were overlooked in previous discussions."
In plain English: A point is a specific location on a map or a single spot where something happens.
"She pointed to the map to show us where the nearest restaurant was."
Usage: Use "point" to refer to a specific spot in space or time, or a distinct item on a list of arguments. Do not use it when you mean the main idea of a discussion, which should be expressed as the "main point."
direct the course; determine the direction of travelling
"The strong crosswind began to point our sailboat off course toward the rocky shore."
mark (Hebrew words) with diacritics
"The teacher asked students to carefully point the Hebrew vowels in their new prayer book before class began."
mark (a psalm text) to indicate the points at which the music changes
"The choir director carefully pointed each verse of the ancient psalm so that the musicians knew exactly when to shift from the soft lullaby melody to the triumphant chorus."
indicate the presence of (game) by standing and pointing with the muzzle
"the dog pointed the dead duck"
To extend the index finger in the direction of something in order to show where it is or to draw attention to it.
"The committee decided to point a new chairperson to lead the upcoming meetings."
To appoint.
In plain English: To point is to direct your finger or another object toward something specific.
"She pointed at the map to show us where we were going."
Usage: The verb point almost always means to direct attention toward something or indicate a direction with a finger. It should not be used to mean appointing someone to a position, which requires the word appoint.
USMA (United States Military Academy) in West Point, New York.
"After graduating from high school, she decided to apply to point for her education at the United States Military Academy."
The word "point" comes from the Old French word for a dot or sharp tip, which itself derives from the Latin verb meaning to prick or punch. It entered English largely by replacing the native Old English word ord, which had previously meant the same thing.