Dictionary

point out en · VERB

Pronunciation

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Etymology

From point and out. Instead of pointing to a particular thing, the term implies pointing to one particular thing out of several similar things, or to a thing in a scene where it might not be readily seen.

Meanings

1. (idiomatic, transitive) To identify among a group of similar subjects, or in a scene where the subject might not be readily seen or noticed, with a gesture of the body.
   • She pointed out the two drummers in the class.
   • He pointed out the little brown bird in the tree.
   • "...The storage room is about, oh, three doors down, on the left. I'll point it out as we go by. Pay attention so you know where you have to come back to. Only then it'll be — let me see — about five doors down on your right." 2015 February 2, Laurel Deedrick-Mayne, A Wake For The Dreamland, FriesenPress, →ISBN, page 24:
   • I have often been amused by travellers pointing out, first the Eden, just north of the station, and then the Esk, which young Lochinvar swam, as the Border; the real boundary is, of course, the little river Sark, just south of the Caledonian station at Gretna; […]. 1953 August, Basil M. Bazley, “Carlisle in 1905”, in Railway Magazine, page 507:
   • I was in the Woodley Park–Zoo in D.C. and mom and sister were waiting to see the pandas, so me and my pops broke away to check out the monkey house. Well, there was a beautiful teacher, I mean we're talking a ten, she was blond, had a low-cut dress on, just gorgeous. And she has about eight or nine students and she's pointing out all the different monkeys. And me and my dad noticed this huge orangutan kind of fiddling with himself. 2006 May 9, Penn Jillette, Michael Goudeau, quoting Chris, 22:22 from the start, in Penn Radio:
2. (figuratively, idiomatic) To tell, remind, indicate.
   • On November 15 our Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed Soviet ambassador Petrov of this decision. At the same time I sent a message to President Harry S. Truman, pointing out that Soviet Russia's treaty violations and bad faith in Manchuria not only were detrimental to China's territorial integrity and unification, but also constituted a serious threat to peace and order in East Asia, and that the only way to prevent any further deterioration of the situation would be for China and the United States to take positive and coordinated actions. 1957, Chiang Chung-cheng (Kai-shek), Soviet Russia in China: A Summing-up at Seventy, New York: Farrar, Straus and Cudahy, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 146:
   • I would just like to point out that we need to finish our meeting by 9 o'clock.
   • As a Hitchin signalman once pointed out to me, when a regulating quandary arises concerning a fast-moving Class A train there is no time to consult Control and get their answer before the express is on one's doorstep. 1962 May, G. Freeman Allen, “Traffic control on the Great Northern Line”, in Modern Railways, page 343:

Forms

Relateds

pick out · single out

Translations (98)

el δείχνω (identify with a bodily gesture) · grc δείκνυμι (identify with a bodily gesture) · ta குறிப்பிடு (identify with a bodily gesture) · el δείχνω (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · ja 示す (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · it osservare (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · de hinweisen (identify with a bodily gesture) · ru привлека́ть внима́ние (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · bg посо́ча (identify with a bodily gesture) · ta சுட்டிக்காட்டு (identify with a bodily gesture) · ru напомина́ть (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · eo indiki (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · nl aanduiden (identify with a bodily gesture) · fr indiquer (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · grc δείκνυμι (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · it indicare (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · nl erop wijzen (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · es apuntar (identify with a bodily gesture) · sa दिशति (identify with a bodily gesture) · ga cuir in iúl (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · eo rimarkigi (identify with a bodily gesture) · la addigito (identify with a bodily gesture) · bg посо́чвам (identify with a bodily gesture) · sga in·fét (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · fi osoittaa (identify with a bodily gesture) · es señalar (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · es puntualizar (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · fi näyttää (identify with a bodily gesture) · nl uiteenzetten (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · es señalar (identify with a bodily gesture) · bg ука́звам (identify with a bodily gesture) · uk вказа́ти (identify with a bodily gesture) · it evidenziare (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · pl zwrócić uwagę (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · bg ука́жа (identify with a bodily gesture) · pt destacar (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · ca indicar (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · fi tuoda esille (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · nl tonen (identify with a bodily gesture) · ja 指す (identify with a bodily gesture) · pl zwracać uwagę (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · ru напо́мнить (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · ml ചൂണ്ടിക്കാണിക്കുക (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · as আঙুলিয়া (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · de darauf hinweisen (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · pt apontar (identify with a bodily gesture) · is benda á (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · as আঙুলিয়া (identify with a bodily gesture) · gl indicar (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · de aufzeigen (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · cs upozornit (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · fr pointer (identify with a bodily gesture) · uk зазна́чити (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · mi whakahahaki (identify with a bodily gesture) · uk вка́зувати (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · ru ука́зывать (identify with a bodily gesture) · la mōnstrō (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · it puntualizzare (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · bg изтъквам (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · pl wskazywać (identify with a bodily gesture) · cs ukázat (identify with a bodily gesture) · eo montri (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · eo rimarkigi (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · ar أَشَارَ (identify with a bodily gesture) · mi whakaatuatu (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · ml ചൂണ്ടിക്കാണിക്കുക (identify with a bodily gesture) · es apercibir (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · izh näyttää (identify with a bodily gesture) · pl przypomnieć (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · ca assenyalar (identify with a bodily gesture) · cmn 指出 (identify with a bodily gesture) · uk нагада́ти (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · cmn 指 (identify with a bodily gesture) · uk зверта́ти ува́гу (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · nl aanduiden (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · ru ука́зывать (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · fi huomauttaa (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · io indikar (identify with a bodily gesture) · uk нага́дувати (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · ru привле́чь внима́ние (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · ko 가리키다 (identify with a bodily gesture) · cs ukazovat (identify with a bodily gesture) · sv påpeka (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · cs upozorňovat (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · it additare (identify with a bodily gesture) · uk зазнача́ти (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · gl sinalar (identify with a bodily gesture) · pl przypominać (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · nl aangeven (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · hu felhívja a figyelmet (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · ca apuntar (identify with a bodily gesture) · pl wskazać (identify with a bodily gesture) · ru указа́ть (identify with a bodily gesture) · nl aanwijzen (identify with a bodily gesture) · ru указа́ть (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · uk вказа́ти (tell, remind, indicate to someone) · ja 指し示す (identify with a bodily gesture) · uk вка́зувати (identify with a bodily gesture)