Word.ws English Dictionary

finger

Syllables: fin·gerUK/ˈfɪŋɡəː//ˈfɪŋɡɚ/

finger noun: a slender jointed extremity of the human hand, (often) exclusive of the thumb, and the corresponding part, irrespective of including a thumb, in many other animals. Also the clipping of finger pier.

finger: a slender jointed extremity of the human hand, (often) exclusive of the thumb, and the...
Image: Superbass, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

finger (plural fingers)

  1. A slender jointed extremity of the human hand, (often) exclusive of the thumb, and the corresponding part, irrespective of including a thumb, in many other animals.
    • Humans have two hands and ten fingers. Each hand has one thumb and four fingers.
    • [M]aking a Cut here big enough to put her Finger in, which ſhe thruſts under the Guts, and with it rakes or tears out the Stone that lies neareſt to it.1750, W[illiam] Ellis, The Country Housewife's Family Companion […] , London: James Hodges; B. Collins, →OCLC, page 157
  2. Similar or similar-looking extremities in other animals, particularly
    • The starfish eats with five fingers.1915, Eleanor Stackhouse Atkinson, “The How and Why Library”, in Life, Section VIII
  3. The lower, smaller segment of an arthropod claw.
  4. One of the supporting structures of wings in birds, bats, etc. evolved from earlier toes or fingers.
  5. One of the slender bony structures before the pectoral fins of gurnards and sea robins (Triglidae).
  6. Something similar in shape to the human finger, particularly
    • ...spires whose ‘silent finger points to Heaven’...1814, William Wordsworth, The Excursion, page 250
  7. Finger-shaped pieces of food.
    • chocolate fingers; fish fingers; cheese fingers
    • By now, we hope you have said “no” to processed nuggets and fingers. Instead, how about taking some real chicken, tossing it with real eggs, a little tangy mustard, and a crunchy quinoa coating?2014, Laurie David, The Family Cooks
    Synonyms:
    tendril
  8. A tube extending from a sealed system, or sometimes into one in the case of a cold finger.
    • An oven is placed over the finger with Co catalyst (oven temperature will depend on whether a quartz or Pyrex finger is used, see Ref. 24), and a cold finger (usually a copper rod immersed in dry ice–isopropanol slurry) is placed on the other tube.1996, Susan Trumbore, Mass Spectrometry of Soils, page 318
  9. (UK, obsolete, plural-normally, regional) Synonym of foxglove (D. purpurea).
    Synonyms:
    foxglove
  10. Something similarly extending, (especially) from a larger body, particularly
    • a finger of land; a finger of smoke
  11. Various protruding plant structures, as a banana from its hand.
  12. (obsolete) A lobe of the liver.
Show 16 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
  1. (historical) The teeth parallel to the blade of a scythe, fitted to a wooden frame called a crade.
  2. The projections of a reaper or mower which similarly separate the stalks for cutting.
  3. Synonym of jet bridge: the narrow elevated walkway connecting a plane to an airport.
    Synonyms:
    jet bridge
  4. A leaf in a finger tree data structure.
  5. Something similar in function or agency to the human finger, (usually) with regard to touching, grasping, or pointing.
    • The Magicians said vnto Pharaoh; This is the finger of God.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 8:19
    1. (obsolete) Synonym of hand, the part of a clock pointing to the hour, minute, or second.
    2. (US, obsolete, slang) A policeman or prison guard.
    3. (US, rare, slang) An informer to the police, (especially) one who identifies a criminal during a lineup.
    4. (US, rare, slang) A criminal who scouts for prospective victims and targets or who performs reconnaissance before a crime.
    5. (figuratively) That which points; an indicator, as of guilt, blame, or suspicion.
      • The finger of suspicion pointed clearly at the hotel manager.
  6. (historical) Synonym of digit: former units of measure notionally based on its width but variously standardized, (especially) the English digit of ¹⁄₁₆ foot (about 1.9 cm).
    • a piece of steel three fingers thick1648, John Wilkins, Mathematical Magick
    Synonyms:
    digit
  7. (historical) A unit of length notionally based on the length of an adult human's middle finger, standardized as 4½ inches (11.43 cm).
  8. (historical) Synonym of digit: ¹⁄₁₂ the observed diameter of the sun or moon, (especially) with regard to eclipses.
    Synonyms:
    digit
  9. An informal measure of alcohol based on its height in a given glass compared to the width of the pourer's fingers while holding it.
    • Gimme three fingers of bourbon.
  10. A part of a glove intended to cover a finger.
  11. (informal, obsolete) Skill in the use of the fingers, as in playing upon a musical instrument.
    • A performer capable of doing justice to rapid or expressive passages, is said to have a good finger1786, Thomas Busby, Musical Dictionary
    Synonyms:
    fingering technique, touch
  12. (informal, rare) Someone skilled in the use of their fingers, (especially) a pickpocket.
  13. (UK, slang) A person.
    Synonyms:
    bloke, lad, boy, guv
  14. (especially) An obscene or insulting gesture made by raising one's middle finger towards someone with the palm of one's hand facing inwards.
  15. Any of the individual receivers used in a rake receiver to decode signal components.
  16. (vulgar) An act of fingering (inserting a finger into someone's vagina or rectum for sexual pleasure).

Verb

finger (third-person singular simple present fingers, present participle fingering, simple past and past participle fingered)

  1. (transitive) To identify or point out; to blame for something.
    • This makes it quite difficult to finger specific gene variants, since any one variant contributes only tiny effects.2016, Joseph Henrich, chapter 6, in The Secret of Our Success […] , Princeton: Princeton University Press, →ISBN
    • I'm rose-tinting my teenage years, for sure, but Twenge isn't the only generational-change researcher to finger the ubiquitous smartphone for contributing to higher rates of teen depression and anxiety.2018 January, “Wild Things”, in North and South
  2. (transitive) To report to or identify for the authorities; to inform on.
  3. (transitive) To poke, probe, feel, or fondle with a finger or fingers.
    • Goe, get you gone: and let the papers lye: / You would be fingring them, to anger me.c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
    • "They have done a foolish thing," said I, fingering my wineglass.1895–1897, H[erbert] G[eorge] Wells, The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann, published 1898, →OCLC, (please specify the page number(s))
  4. (transitive) To use the fingers to penetrate or sexually stimulate one's own or another person's vulva, vagina, or anus.
    • She fingered him, spreading the gel and sliding the tip of her finger inside him.2007, Madeline Bastinado, A Talent for Surrender, page 201
    • She smiled, a look of amazement on her face, as if thinking that maybe this was the cock that she had been fantasizing about just now, as she fingered herself to a massive, body-engulfing orgasm.2008, Thomas Wainwright, editor, Erotic Tales, page 56
  5. (transitive) To use specified finger positions in producing notes on a musical instrument.
  6. (transitive) To provide instructions in written music as to which fingers are to be used to produce particular notes or passages.
  7. (Internet, transitive) To query (a user's status) using the Finger protocol.
    • There is also a hot-link to "finger" the guys at id to see what they're working on next (John Carmack, John Cash […]1996, Marc Saltzman, Sean McFadden, Internet Games Directory, Lycos Press, →ISBN, page 29
    • PGP mail welcome (finger me for my key).1996, Yves Bellefeuille, “List of useful freeware”, in comp.archives.msdos.d (Usenet)
  8. (obsolete) To steal; to purloin.
    • in the dark / Grop'd I to finde out them; had my desire, / Finger'd their Packet, and in fine, withdrew / To mine owne roome againe,c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac...
  9. (obsolete, transitive) To execute, as any delicate work.

Proper noun capitalized: Finger

Finger

  1. A surname.
  2. A city in Tennessee.

Also used as

finger is also the clipping of finger pier.

finger meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

finger in Hindi

(anatomy) extremity of the hand
उंगली uṅglī, अंगुल aṅgul, अंगुलि aṅguli, अंगुली aṅgulī, अंगुश्त aṅguśt

finger in Tamil

(anatomy) extremity of the hand
விரல் viral
to identify or point out
சுட்டு cuṭṭu
to poke
நோண்டு nōṇṭu
to penetrate and sexually stimulate with one's finger
குடை kuṭai

finger in Marathi

(anatomy) extremity of the hand
अंगुली aṅgulī, बोट boṭ

finger in Urdu

(anatomy) extremity of the hand
اُن٘گْلی uṅglī, اَن٘گُشْت aṅguśt
More languagesFewer languages
finger in Bengali
আঙ্গুল aṅgul, আঙুল aṅul
finger in Telugu
వేలు vēlu
finger in Malayalam
വിരൽ viral
finger in Kannada
ಬೆರಳು beraḷu
finger in Gujarati
આંગળી ā̃gaḷī
finger in Odia
ଆଙ୍ଗୁଳି āṅguḷi
finger in Sanskrit
अङ्गुली aṅgulī, अङ्गुरि aṅguri
finger in Sinhala
ඇඟිල්ල æⁿgilla
finger in Assamese
আঙুলি aṅuli
finger in Nepali
औंला a͠ulā
finger in Pashto
ګوته gwəta
finger in Tagalog
daliri
finger in Arabic
إِصْبَع ʔiṣbaʕ, بَنَان banān, صَبَّعَ ṣabbaʕa
finger in Malay
jari
finger in Indonesian
jari
finger in Thai
นิ้ว níu
finger in Vietnamese
ngón tay, chỉ ra, chỉ đến, chọc
finger in Myanmar
လက်ချောင်း lakhkyaung:
Sindhi
آڱُر āṅuri
Dhivehi
އިނގިލި iⁿgili

Examples of finger in a sentence

  • Each finger extended represents one-eighth of a cent.1916, “The Finger Talk of Chicago's Wheat-Pit”, in Popular Science Monthly, Vol. 89, p. 81:
  • In 1993 [Victor Candia] noticed that the fingers of his left hand were starting to curl up as he played [on his guitar].2014 March 29, “Don’t cramp my style”, in The Economist, volume 410, number 8880:
  • He wanted to finger his moustache, but could not.1956, Anthony Burgess, Time for a Tiger (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 121:
  • Feeling tender around the face, she fingered herself gingerly.2009, Win Blevins, Dreams Beneath Your Feet, page 135:

All 40 example sentences with finger

Synonyms of finger

30 more synonymsFewer synonyms

All synonyms of finger

Forms of finger

Noun
pluralfingers
Verb
third-person singular presentfingers
present participlefingering
past participlefingered
pastfingered

Past tense of finger: fingered

Plural of finger: fingers

Origin of finger

PIE word *pénkʷe From Middle English fynger, finger, from Old English finger (“finger”), from Proto-West Germanic *fingr, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz (“finger”), from Proto-Indo-European *penkʷrós, from *pénkʷe (“five”). Cognate with West Frisian finger, German and Low German Finger, Dutch vinger, Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish finger, Faroese and Icelandic fingur; see also Old Armenian հինգեր-որդ (hinger-ord, “fifth”). More at five.

English, German, and Jewish surname, from the noun finger.

Words formed from finger

Phrases with finger

166 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with finger

Questions about finger

What does finger mean?
Finger means a slender jointed extremity of the human hand, (often) exclusive of the thumb, and the corresponding part, irrespective of including a thumb, in many other animals.
What is finger in Hindi?
Finger in Hindi is उंगली (uṅglī), अंगुल (aṅgul), अंगुलि (aṅguli). See Finger meaning in Hindi.
How do you use finger in a sentence?
Each finger extended represents one-eighth of a cent.
What part of speech is finger?
Finger can be a noun, a verb or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce finger?
Finger is pronounced /ˈfɪŋɡəː/ (UK).
What is the plural of finger?
The plural of finger is fingers.

Words near finger in the dictionary

  1. Fingall
  2. Fingallian
  3. fingan
  4. fingans
  5. fingent
  6. finger
  7. finger ache
  8. finger aches
  9. finger alphabet
  10. finger alphabets
  11. finger and thumb

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: finger (page history and authors); Finger (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-finger.wav.

Cite this entry: “finger.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/finger. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.