put one's finger on

verb

To identify, specify, name or pick out.

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Meanings

verbput one's finger on (third-person singular simple present puts one's finger on, present participle putting one's finger on, simple past and past participle put one's finger on)

present singular third person puts one's finger on · participle present putting one's finger on

  1. idiomaticTo identify, specify, name or pick out.

    Mystic stranger / I know I'm not wrong / It feels like I've known you / but I can't put my finger on

    1981, Jean Carn, “Mystic Stranger”, in Sweet and Wonderful
    2 more examples

    He had the quick witted imagination to put his finger right on the correct method of attacking a problem but no patience to see it through to the bitter end.

    2011, Derek Rosser, Earning a Crust, page 86

    “Now, there’s something wrong with that,” Breyer said, to laughter. “I’m trying to put my finger on it.”

    2017 January 9, Robert Barnes, “High court questions why refunds aren’t automatic when a Colo. conviction is overturned”, in Washington Post

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 指出, 点明
  • 指出 (zhǐchū)identify
  • 点明 (diǎnmíng)identify
Finnish osoittaa sormella
  • osoittaa sormellaidentify
French mettre le doigt sur, identifier
  • mettre le doigt suridentify
  • identifieridentify
German identifizieren, erkennen
  • identifizierenidentify
  • erkennenidentify
Polish wskazywać palcem, wskazać palcem
  • wskazywać palcemidentify
  • wskazać palcemidentify
  • precyzowaćidentify
  • sprecyzowaćidentify
  • identyfikowaćidentify
Russian показывать пальцем
  • показывать пальцем (pokazyvatʹ palʹcem)identify
Spanish señalar
  • señalaridentify
Swedish sätta fingret på
  • sätta fingret påidentify
Cite this entry
APA

put one's finger on. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20one's%20finger%20on

MLA

“put one's finger on.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20one's%20finger%20on. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “put one's finger on,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20one's%20finger%20on.

Source: put one's finger on on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.