English Reference
Idiom idiom

point fingers


To accuse people of being responsible for something bad.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

“It is not helpful to point fingers when things go wrong.”

CONTEXTUAL

“Instead of solving the problem, the team members spent the entire meeting pointing fingers at each other.”

COMPLEX

“Rather than accepting responsibility for the failed project, the manager chose to point fingers at his subordinates to protect his own reputation.”


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    all fingers and thumbs

    Of a person, clumsy or awkward.

  2. 02

    all points of the compass

    Every direction; everywhere.

  3. 03

    beside the point

    Irrelevant, moot.

  4. 04

    boiling point

    The state of being heated, with high aggression.

  5. 05

    brownie point

    Credit or praise for good work or a good deed, often for the express purpose of currying favor.

  6. 06

    burn one's fingers

    To harm oneself; to suffer consequences of one's actions.

  7. 07

    fat finger

    A supposed cause of typographical errors, especially keyboard errors, caused from erroneous key presses or typing errors on touchscreen devices.

  8. 08

    finger in the pie

    A share in the doing of something; involvement.

Last updated August 10, 2026