From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpinpointpin‧point1 /ˈpɪnpɔɪnt/ verb [transitive] 1 EXACTto discover or explain exactly the real facts about something or the cause of a problem It’s difficult to pinpoint the cause of the accident.pinpoint what/how/why etc They need to pinpoint exactly what skills are necessary.2 FIND OUTto find or show the exact position of something Rescue teams have now pinpointed the location of the ship.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
pinpoint• Which is precisely why our guests have trouble pinpointing exactly which half they prefer.• She could trace where they were by pinpointing him on Hal's map.• At this very moment, other hoteliers no doubt are busy conducting surveys designed to pinpoint our newest whims.• But the profiles also try to pinpoint physical characteristics, the paper said.• Investigators are trying the pinpoint the cause of the fire.• Scientists have been unable to pinpoint the exact causes of cancer.• There is a chapter later on that will help you pinpoint the good aspects of your everyday eating habits.• Satellite pictures helped to pinpoint the locations of 13,000 troops.• Mechanics are having difficulty pinpointing the problem.• Having already obtained an MoD licence and farmer's permission we set about trying to pinpoint the site.• The test is meant to pinpoint which types of jobs you are suited for.pinpoint what/how/why etc• It's easy to pinpoint what is wrong.• You can pinpoint what you want to know, you can direct it.pinpointpinpoint2 noun [countable] 1 LITTLE/NOT MUCHa very small area or dot of somethingpinpoint of tiny pinpoints of light2 → with pinpoint accuracyExamples from the Corpus
pinpoint• It would also not hurt to show what could be done in terms of a pinpoint landing.• I was pressed to a pinpoint, my breath flat.• Similar lesions, although only transient and pinpoint, may be caused by A. caninum larvae.• There are a number of ways in which one may use the individual pinpoints of light to illuminate the territory between them.• Thus the information we have about the five political systems is not limited to areas directly under the little pinpoints of light.• But it was still operating, feeding the antenna the impulses that kept it aimed at the far-off pinpoint of Earth.• Two figures appeared, a long way off under the pinpoints of the ceiling lights, and came towards her.• The device uses radiation to destroy tumors and vascular malformations with pinpoint accuracy.pinpoint of• Through a telescope, Jupiter's moons will look like pinpoints of light. 