ENGLISH
REFERENCE

point the finger at

idiom
Meaning

To accuse or blame (someone).


Examples
SIMPLE

It is wrong to point the finger at your friends.

CONTEXTUAL

When the project failed, the manager began to point the finger at the junior staff members.

COMPLEX

Rather than accepting responsibility for the systemic failure, the board members chose to point the finger at the department heads who had no control over the budget.

Anchors to
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 April 17, 2026