cursor

noun

cur·​sor ˈkər-sər 

-ˌsȯr

: 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

Such original approaches to mouse controls could be Nintendo's secret weapon on the Switch 2, and developers are already coming up with more inventive uses for the tech than simply bringing a cursor to console gaming. —Matt Kamen, Wired News, 20 Apr. 2025

Guiding a cursor is the best way to make moves in a strategy game, after all. —Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 14 Apr. 2025

My three friends all had to spend a few minutes getting used to using their phone screen as a multi-modal controller: touchpad for hex movement and cursor pointing, card picker and info box reader, and then the town landscape screen. —ArsTechnica, 18 Apr. 2025

Fixed the mouse cursor remaining on the screen after pressing home button while using a controller. —Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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-.

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cursor

• bursar
• mercer
• purser
• precursor

Kids Definition

cursor

noun

cur·​sor ˈkər-sər 

: a mark (as a bright blinking spot) on a computer display screen that shows the place where the user is working