cursor

noun

cur·sor | \ˈkər-sər,

-ˌsȯr\

Definition of cursor

: a movable item used to mark a position: such as

a : a transparent slide with a line attached to a slide rule

b : a visual cue (such as a flashing vertical line) on a video display that indicates position (as for data entry)

Examples of cursor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The playable demo isn't necessarily a lot of fun to watch as a direct, start-to-finish affair, since a lot of the video revolves around using mouse cursors to review and pick through cards. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "Exclusive: Valve walks us through Artifact’s new demo, leaves us wanting more," 31 Aug. 2018 The cursor blinked back at them, pulsing like an explosive light. — Eric Johnson, Recode, "Google’s former PR boss Jessica Powell wrote a satirical novel about tech and published it all on Medium," 2 Oct. 2018 Using a webcam, the system recognizes hand or head motions to move an on-screen cursor. — Matthew Kitchen, WSJ, "The Death of the TV Remote—and What’s Coming Next," 15 June 2018 To do that, hover the cursor over the person’s name in your inbox list. — New York Times, "Finding Your Contacts in the New Gmail," 21 May 2018 The display screens in both the 6.1-inch touch screen and 4.2-inch display in the instrument cluster are pixelated like an 8-bit game in a greenish blue, blinking-cursor type style. — Robert Duffer, chicagotribune.com, "Review: 2017 Toyota Highlander isn't as fresh as the three-row competition," 31 May 2017 Using a special mouse strapped to his forehead that detects his smallest movement, Desikan moves a cursor around an on-screen keyboard. — Laurie Mcginley, Washington Post, "Devastated by ALS, trying to save others," 13 June 2018 Other cars with touchpads use them in the conventional way, to control a cursor on the screen. — Alex Davies, WIRED, "Acura Has Finally Made an Easy-to-Use Infotainment System," 14 May 2018 Every so often a news article appears that shows a disabled person directing movement of a computer cursor or a prosthetic hand with thought alone. — R. Douglas Fields, Scientific American, "Wristband Lets the Brain Control a Computer with a Thought and a Twitch," 27 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cursor.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for cursor

borrowed from Latin cursor "runner, courier," from currere "to run" + -tor, agent suffix — more at current entry 1

Note: For cursor as agent noun of currere in place of expected *co(r)stor see note at course entry 1. As with other Latin deverbal derivatives, the zero grade ablaut of the past participle has been generalized with all suffixes ending in -t-.

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