Word.ws English Dictionary

on point

on point prepositional phrase: excellent; bold; performing well.

Prepositional phrase

  1. (colloquial) Excellent; bold; performing well.
    • The last time Madonna was indisputably on point, she had hooked up with French producer Mirwais for Music (2000) and the sensuous possibilities of club culture.2019 June 8, Kitty Empire, “Madonna: Madame X review – a splendidly bizarre return to form”, in The Guardian
  2. (US) Having a direct application to the case or topic under consideration; apposite, relevant.
    • We have no decisions in our state directly on point. With us the problem is one of first impression. None of the cases cited is on point.1937, Herdman Motor Co. v. State Bd. of Tax Appeals, 119 N.J.L. 164, 166
    • His historical discussions always appear on point, well researched, and indicate a great deal of care.1984, Eike-Henner W. Kluge, “Review of Frege and the Philosophy of Mathematics by Michael D. Resnik and Gottlob Frege by Hans D. Sluga”, in Noûs, volume 18, number 2, page 342
  3. (ballet) On the tips of the toes; en pointe.
  4. Having taken point; responsible for leading an operation; more generally, deployed and alert.
    • Halo interrupted, “We are all dialed in. Music begins in five minutes. Security is on point. Light show is programmed. Do this for me: roll up the road and grab us some smokes at the convenience store across the street. Here's some cash.”2003, Aaron Traylor, chapter 14, in The DJ Chronicles: A Life Remixed, Port Hole Publications, →ISBN, page 71

on point meaning in Tamil

on point in Tamil

நனிநன்று

Forms of on point

alternative formon-point

Origin of on point

Possibly from the French en pointe meaning to be on the tip of the toes in ballet and reflects a higher degree of skill. On point also describes a degree of competence and in the military the man on point was at the front and most exposed position in a combat military formation, that is, the leading soldier or unit advancing through hostile or unsecured territory. In recent American youth (especially hip hop) culture, the idiom on point refers either to someone who possesses abundant and various qualities of competence, leadership or style, or to specific acts which demonstrate such qualities.

Questions about on point

What does on point mean?
On point means excellent; bold; performing well.
What is on point in Tamil?
On point in Tamil is நனிநன்று. See On point meaning in Tamil.
What part of speech is on point?
On point is a prepositional phrase.

Words near on point in the dictionary

  1. on pain of
  2. on paper
  3. on par
  4. on parade
  5. on pins and needles
  6. on point
  7. on principle
  8. on pump
  9. on purpose
  10. on rails
  11. on rare form

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: on point (page history and authors); on point (Tamil Wiktionary) (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.

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