point to

point to (someone or something)

1. To indicate or signify the direction or location of someone or something. We've set up arrows pointing to the house to help guests who are unfamiliar with the area. If you rest the needle on the surface of water, it will point to magnetic north.
2. To make a physical signal, especially with one's index finger, to indicate the direction or location of someone or something. Tom pointed to the trees behind the cabin when Peter asked where the bathroom was. Everyone pointed to Sarah when the boss asked who had broken the printer.
3. To face the direction of someone or something. I love that the back porch points to the setting sun in the evening. You always want the front of your body pointing to the audience, otherwise they will have trouble hearing you.
4. To move something so that it faces the direction of someone or something. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "point" and "to." He pointed his light to the window so that she would see it from her bedroom. She pointed the stereo to the meeting room so we could all hear the outcome of the game.
5. To draw someone's attention toward or inform someone about the direction of someone or something. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "point" and "to." Excuse me, could you please point me to the train station? He pointed me to the exit when I asked if they had any job openings.
6. To indicate, reveal, suggest, or imply that someone or something is the likely conclusion or answer to some question. After a careful investigation, all signs point to Mr. Walker as the perpetrator of the theft. The unusual angle of this wound points to the second shooter from a higher level.
7. To draw someone's attention toward or inform someone the likely conclusion or answer to some question. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "point" and "to." Several interviews pointed police to the location of the suspect, who had been hiding out in a relative's cabin in the woods.
See also: point
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

point to someone or something

to aim at someone or something. Who is she pointing to? He pointed to the door.
See also: point

point to something

to indicate, reveal, or suggest something. All the evidence seems to point to his guilt. The signs point to a very cold winter.
See also: point
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

point to

v.
1. To indicate the location of something: The arrows on the map point to the places where we camped overnight.
2. To make a gesture indicating the location of something: He told the dog to go outside and pointed to the door.
3. To suggest something as a likely possibility or conclusion: The chewed-up bones in the kitchen point to the dog, not the child. All indications point to an early spring.
See also: point
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • point to (someone or something)
  • point toward
  • point toward (someone or something)
  • mark (someone or something) as (something)
  • mark as
  • be in bad with (someone)
  • in bad with, be
  • I've never heard it called that before
  • quite some (something)
  • shoot through (to somewhere)
References in periodicals archive
The general point to point inflation rate was 5.51 percentage point in July, 2018 down from 5.54 percentage point in June.
The general point to point inflation rate in May was 5.57 percentage point down from 5.63 percentage point in April.
The general point to point inflation rate in March last year was 5.68 percentage point while it was 5.72 percentage point in February.
The general point to point inflation rate in January 2018 was 5.88 percentage point.
The BBS data showed that the point to point non-food inflation rate, however, decreased slightly to 5.29 percent in March which was 5.51 percent in February.
The general point to point inflation rate at the rural level stood at 5.38 percent.
In February, the general point to point inflation rate reached 5.47 percentage point..
'The general point to point inflation rate reached 5.47 percent in February which was 5.42 percentage point in January," said Planning Minister MA Mannan while releasing the consumer price index.
The general point to point inflation rate in last January was 5.88 percentage point.
The BBS data showed that the point to point non-food inflation rate, however, decreased slightly to 5.51 percent in February which was 5.57 percent in January.
The general point to point inflation rate at the rural level, however, increased slightly to 5.26 percent in February.
Inflation increases in May
Lines are drawn from the distance point to the marked intervals that divided the picture's frontmost plane and as each line intersects the side of the frame, the point of intersection determines the measurement of intervals extending back toward the horizon [ILLUSTRATION FOR FIGURE 2 OMITTED].(49)
Anamorphosis through Descartes or perspective gone awry