pointers

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

point•er /ˈpɔɪntɚ/   n. [countable]

1. a person or thing that points.
2. a long stick used in pointing things out on a map, blackboard, or the like.
3. Time the hand on a watch dial, clock face, etc.
4. Dog and Cat Breeds one of a breed of large, shorthaired hunting dogs that point to wild animals that are hunted.
5. a piece of advice, esp. on how to succeed in a certain area:
   gave the rookie some pointers on good batting.

See -point-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

point•er  (poin′tər), n. 

1. a person or thing that points.
2. a long, tapering stick used by teachers, lecturers, etc., in pointing things out on a map, blackboard, or the like.
3. Time the hand on a watch dial, clock face, scale, etc.
4. Military the member of an artillery crew who aims the weapon.
5. Dog and Cat Breeds one of a breed of short-haired hunting dogs trained to point game.
6. a piece of advice, esp. on how to succeed in a specific area:
   The food expert gave some good pointers on making better salads.
7. Computing an identifier giving the location in storage of something of interest, as a data item, table, or subroutine.
8. Astronomy Pointers, the two outer stars of the Big Dipper that lie on a line that passes very near Polaris and are used for finding it.

• point + -er¹ 1490–1500

Synonyms

• 6. . tip, hint, suggestion, caution.