point to

phrasal verb

pointed to; pointing to; points to
1
: to direct attention to (someone or something) by moving one's finger or an object held in one's hand in a particular direction
She pointed to me and asked me to stand up.
2
: to mention or refer to (something) as a way of supporting an argument or claim
The prosecution is unable to point to anything that proves its case.
I can point to several past accomplishments that show that I can perform the job well.
3
: to show that something is true or probably true
All the evidence points to him as the murderer.
Her symptoms point to diabetes.

Examples of point to in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Inside the walls of the Osaka Castle, simply having shoes points to status. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2024 But policy supporters point to acts of violence by anti-Israel demonstrators against Jewish students. John Woolfolk, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024 Everytown points to the Santa Fe High School shooter in Texas who killed 10 classmates and teachers and injured another 13 in 2018. Nick Penzenstadler, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2024 Some critics point to the struggles of a universal (though not free) model in Quebec, which some argue was rolled out too quickly, resulting in care of variable quality. Elliot Haspel, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2024 But Texas’ lawyers pointed to the increase in the numbers of migrants crossing the Rio Grande and said smugglers have taken advantage of lax enforcement. David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024 Members must earn 125,000 points to get to Platinum Pro and 200,000 points to get to Executive Platinum. Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 19 Mar. 2024 An optimist might invoke the idea of democratization, pointing to the medium’s ability to amplify otherwise silent voices, in ways both good and bad. Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2024 Officials point to prosecutions in the United States for abetting violence. Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'point to.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near point to

Cite this Entry

“Point to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/point%20to. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!