point source

noun

1

: a source of radiation (such as light) that is concentrated at a point and considered as having no spatial extension

2

: an identifiable confined source (such as a smokestack or wastewater treatment plant) from which a pollutant is discharged or emitted

Examples of point source in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

However, this new research showed that these point sources, including pulsars, would be extremely faint, and that is good news for scientists who favor annihilating dark matter as the cause of these gamma rays. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 21 June 2026

There can be high levels of phosphate from [pollution] point sources or from agricultural runoff, which is a big issue. — Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 19 June 2026

In every case, the best fit was a system with a massive point source at its center, and the rest of the material rotating around it. — ArsTechnica, 27 May 2026

This is a point source detection problem, in which the multiple sources of a complex signal are located. — John Werner, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for point source

• concourse
• divorce
• endorse
• enforce
• indorse
• midcourse
• outsource
• perforce
• racehorse
• remorse
• seahorse
• workforce