point man

noun

1
: a soldier who goes ahead of a patrol
2
: one who is in the forefront
especially : a principal spokesman or advocate
the point man for the President's economic policy

Examples of point man in a Sentence

He's the President's point man on national defense. the point man for the automaker announced a recall of several models with defective parts
Recent Examples on the Web Even so, Biden’s main point man on Ukraine appealed to his hosts not to give up on the US. Andrew Carey, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024 Keena Turner, who played his entire 11-year NFL career as a 49ers linebacker from 1980-90, is Edwards' point man with the 49ers these days. USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2024 Orlando's point man Markelle Fultz had the team-high eight points. Dana Scott, The Arizona Republic, 29 Jan. 2024 The point man spotted Clifford cutting to the right of the lane and the latter laid it in, squaring the score again at 64 apiece. Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 16 Jan. 2024 In contrast, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Austin Lloyd, CIA Director William Burns, and White House Middle East point man Brett McGurk have been rotating in and out of Arab capitals since Oct. 7. Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Dec. 2023 Once the armistice had gone into effect, Pierre Laval, an ambitious politician who had become Pétain’s point man, helped to organize a change of regime. Robert O. Paxton, Harper's Magazine, 17 Dec. 2023 At a contentious Oval Office meeting several days later, Trump sidelined the campaign lawyers and instead made Giuliani the point man for the rush of ultimately futile lawsuits challenging the election. Danny Hakim, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2024 Now 34, the ex-Boston University point man could be the No. 2 power-play quarterback on the back line and could push fellow ex-Terrier Charlie McAvoy for No. 1 duty. Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Sep. 2023

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

Word History

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of point man was in 1944

Dictionary Entries Near point man

Cite this Entry

“Point man.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/point%20man. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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