1. a long stick used to point at things, especially on a board or screen
2. a needle or indicator on a measuring instrument that shows a reading
3. a piece of advice or helpful suggestion
Usage: informal

Examples

• The teacher used a pointer to show locations on the map.
• The pointer on the scale indicated his weight.
• She gave me some useful pointers about job interviews.
• The pointer froze when it detected the scent of quail.
• The program crashed due to a null pointer error.
• He moved the laser pointer across the presentation slide.
• The compass pointer always points north.