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

This is a measure of how many pixels the mouse cursor can move across the screen. —Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026

The company’s first patient has demonstrated the ability to play video games, browse the internet, post on social media, and move a cursor on a laptop using the implant. —Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 1 Jan. 2026

Anyone who’s stared at a blinking cursor on a half-finished resume knows the feeling. —K. H. Koehler, USA Today, 23 Dec. 2025

After intensive practice, the patient was able to move a cursor on a screen—a significant achievement, but a painstaking one. —Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 6 Nov. 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