finger
noun
fin·ger
| \ ˈfiŋ-gər
\
\
Definition of finger
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: any of the five terminating members of the hand : a digit of the forelimb
especially
: one other than the thumb
2a
: something that resembles a finger
a narrow finger of land
b
: a part of a glove into which a finger is inserted
c
: a projecting piece (such as a pawl for a ratchet) brought into contact with an object to affect its motion
3
: the breadth of a finger
5
: bird sense 10
—usually used with the
finger
verb
fingered;
fingering\ ˈfiŋ-g(ə-)riŋ
\
\
Definition of finger (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to touch or feel with the fingers
2a
: to play (a musical instrument) with the fingers
b
: to play (notes, chords, etc.) with a specific fingering
c
: to mark the notes of (a music score) as a guide in playing
3
: to point out : identify
4
: to extend into or penetrate in the shape of a finger
1
: to touch or handle something
2a
: to use the fingers in playing a musical instrument
b
: to have a certain fingering
—used of a musical instrument
3
: to extend in the shape or manner of a finger
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Other Words from finger
Noun
fingerlike
\ ˈfiŋ-gər-ˌlīk
\
adjective
\
adjective
Synonyms for finger
Synonyms: Verb
distinguish, ID, identify, pinpoint, single (out)
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Examples of finger in a Sentence
Noun
Don't stick your fingers in the cookie batter! He slipped the ring onto her finger. The baby held onto my thumb with her tiny fingers. She ran her fingers through his hair. He drummed his fingers on the table impatiently. a finger of land extending into the sea She was so mad, she gave him the finger. Some angry driver flipped me the finger on the highway this morning.Verb
He was fingered as a suspect. thus far authorities haven't been able to finger the person who's been lighting fires around town
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Though investors are likely keeping their fingers crossed for a knight in shining armor, airline executives show no sign of budging. — Natasha Frost, Quartz, "Why Norwegian Air is failing," 21 Aug. 2019 Then, use your fingers to try to fish out your tampon strings. — Yerin Kim, Seventeen, "What Happens If You Have 2 Tampons In At The Same Time?," 13 Aug. 2019 Krispy Kreme has been transforming their iconic glaze waterfall to chocolate one Friday each month for an entire finger-licking year. — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, "Get a Dozen Chocolate Glazed Doughnuts for $2 at Krispy Kreme Friday," 31 July 2019 Briefly: Pass-rusher Dee Ford (quadriceps, finger), CB Ahkello Witherspoon and LB Dre Greenlaw (hand laceration) did not finish practice. — Eric Branch, SFChronicle.com, "49ers’ safety Jimmie Ward making progress; James shines," 30 July 2019 Just as the image of the perfect family starts to erode, one of the girls ends up dead under her watch–and Rowan finds the finger pointed in her direction. — Annabel Gutterman, Time, "Dark Secrets at Book Club and a Deadly Wellness Retreat. 5 Unexpected Summer Thrillers," 25 July 2019 And video showed water getting over a second levee in Plaquemines Parish, where fingers of land extend deep into the Gulf of Mexico. — Sarah Blake Morgan And Janet Mcconnaughey, orlandosentinel.com, "Tropical Storm Barry weakens upon landfall in Louisiana, dumps rain across Gulf Coast," 13 July 2019 But video showed water overtopping a levee in Plaquemines Parish south of New Orleans, where fingers of land extend deep into the Gulf of Mexico. — Author: Kevin Mcgill, Janet Mcconnaughey, Anchorage Daily News, "Barry crawls ashore in Louisiana, weakens to tropical storm," 13 July 2019 To date, Sidewalk has raised about $4.5 million of its goal, Cook says, and her team has its fingers crossed for the final $400,000 or so. — Mary Colurso | Mcolurso@al.com, al.com, "It’s crunch time for Sidewalk Film Festival and new cinema at Pizitz," 11 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Cows or wetlands have been fingered as possible sources, but new research points to methane emissions from fossil fuel production—mainly from shale gas operations in the United States and Canada—as the culprit. — Stephen Leahy, National Geographic, "Fracking boom tied to methane spike in Earth’s atmosphere," 15 Aug. 2019 Now, the largest ever genetic analysis of this group may have fingered the gene responsible—and settled a mystery that has vexed scientists for decades. — Michael Price, Science | AAAS, "‘Stature gene’ may reveal why these hunter-gatherers are among the world’s smallest humans," 13 Aug. 2019 There was a certain amount of middle-fingering from the Trump contingent and tut-tutting from our side. — Bill Mckibben, The New Yorker, "Protesting Immigration Policy, and Why I Decided to Get Arrested," 9 Aug. 2019 Beyond fingering a specific virus behind AFM cases, there are still plenty of other questions to answer. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Mysterious illness that paralyzes healthy kids prompts plea from CDC," 10 July 2019 One partner kneels, leaning back against the other, who is fingering them and/or stimulating their clit from behind. — Sophie Saint Thomas, refinery29.com, "The Most Satisfying Sex Positions for Lesbians," 20 June 2019 We can be taught the pitch of F’s and B-flats, how to finger an A on a clarinet or oboe, the third position on a trombone, how to trill a flute or draw a bow, when to enunciate a word so that the listener hears it and when not to enunciate. — Chuck Yarborough, cleveland.com, "Jason Mraz and the Contemporary Youth Orchestra discover ‘Life is Wonderful’ in collaborative concerts," 16 June 2019 People are thumbing and fingering themselves through life and gleefully paying for it. — Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, "Letter: Tech businesses have triumphed in controlling the masses," 4 June 2019 From lining the playroom with an old shower curtain so your child can finger paint with abandon to letting him co-opt all the pillows in the house to build a killer fort, figure out ways to make your child's creative chaos tolerable for you. — Tehrene Firman, Redbook, "7 Ways You Can Teach Your Kid to Spend Time Alone Without Throwing a Tablet in Their Face," 29 Sep. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'finger.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for finger