to finger
- verb
- /ˈfɪŋɡər/
- Archaic
- To find out more about the user, simply finger their username on the terminal.
Examples
-
If you want to verify their online status, you need to finger them in the system.
-
What I'm trying to achieve is something called the finger search property.
-
For example, Indonesian and Malaysian authorities have fingered shifting cultivation as the source of much of the environmental degradation in eastern Sundaland.
Academic text (1996) -
Here, the task force had fingered (using the Urdu spelling) the central clearinghouse for al-Qaeda in its early years: Maktab al-Khidamat.
Academic text (2011) -
A Scotland Yard inquiry fingered Nicolas Biwott, a prominent politician and Moi confidant, as complicit in the plot.
Academic text (1992) -
You can finger a user to check their current login status on the network.
Idioms
- Informal
Having a very strong taste that makes you want to eat every last bit
Phrasal Verbs
Compounds
The finger between the middle finger and little finger where people often wear wedding rings
- Offensive
A rude hand sign made by raising the finger in the middle to insult someone
A pair of small metal discs worn on the fingers and tapped to make a bright ring used in dance
- Jargon
A basketball shot made near the basket by rolling the ball off the fingertips
- Specialized
A hole on a wind instrument like a flute covered or uncovered by your finger to change the note
- Archaic
A tall plant with large pink-purple tube flowers whose leaves are poisonous but make heart medicine
- Specialized
A way to identify a person by using a machine that reads the patterns on their fingertip
A simple practice using all five fingers to improve their speed and control
A vegetable plant that makes long green pods used in soups and stews, also called okra
How Detailed
- Specialized
- Archaic
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Etymology
Finger in computing comes from the name of a computer tool that let people look up a user's details, so to 'finger' someone is to check their account or login information on a system.