1
as in syringe
a slender hollow instrument by which material is put into or taken from the body through the skin
the nurse inserted the needle into his vein and collected some blood for testing
Synonyms & Similar Words
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1
as in to tease
to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults
we needled him mercilessly for thinking that he had any chance of being the prom date for the school's most popular girl
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to dog
to subject (someone) to constant scoldings and sharp reminders
quit needling me! I'll take out the trash in a minute!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of needle
Californians For Energy Independence, Sacbee.com, 16 June 2025
In the past, doctors would have done a biopsy with a needle and risked a collapsed lung.
—Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 15 June 2025
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 28 May 2025
The weary guard is subtler than other characters at pulling Henry’s strings, but Jerry needles his captor by surmising correctly that even his list of demands is Gene’s work.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for needle
Noun
Whether policymakers can thread that needle will be a defining test in the years ahead.
—Californians For Energy Independence, Sacbee.com, 16 June 2025
In the past, doctors would have done a biopsy with a needle and risked a collapsed lung.
—Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 15 June 2025
Verb
Portnoy needled the Fever’s response to the WNBA’s conclusion.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 28 May 2025
The weary guard is subtler than other characters at pulling Henry’s strings, but Jerry needles his captor by surmising correctly that even his list of demands is Gene’s work.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for needle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for needle
Noun
-
Two were arrested in Metz when one was caught with a syringe and a woman who reported being stabbed recognized the second man.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
24 June 2025
-
However, in Cambrai, a girl who had reported being pricked with a syringe actually had only been scratched in a crowd, La Voix du Nord reported.—
Liam Quinn,
People.com,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
Determine Why Volunteers Disengage Looking at the volunteer retention rate is a great indicator of engagement.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
-
His turnover rate is sky high, which tends to be a bad indicator.—
Sam Vecenie,
New York Times,
26 June 2025
Verb
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Affectionately, the 35-year-old pop star is not known for setting or chasing trends, instead using fashion to tease new musical eras or evoke a sense of girl-next-door relatability.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
29 June 2025
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The historic broadcast network began teasing the multiple Emmy winner’s birthday as early as June 13.—
Ronda Racha Penrice,
HollywoodReporter,
28 June 2025
Verb
-
Since 2017, Spacey has been dogged by legal issues, which have derailed his Hollywood career.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
25 June 2025
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How could the company’s researchers avoid the community opposition that had dogged the Cambodia trial?—
Jon Cohen,
New Yorker,
24 June 2025
Noun
-
The index, however, ended Wednesday little changed.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
26 June 2025
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These systems typically work by ingesting a wide variety of data, including electronic health record (EHR) and claims feeds, pharmacy records, lab results, device data and social-risk indices.—
Mika Newton,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
Verb
-
The worse-than-blue has been hanging around for weeks, taunting me because tomorrow is my birthday.—
Susan Choi,
Literary Hub,
5 June 2025
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Rakeem Nunez-Roches taunted Hudson from the defensive sideline, and Hudson made the yapping sign with his hand back at him.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
5 June 2025
Noun
-
Both benchmark gauges advanced around 4% from last Friday's close.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
27 June 2025
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To give a gauge on the price range, a graphic Rabanne t-shirt is $490.—
Ella Gonzales,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 June 2025
Verb
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As half-time approached with the match still goalless, Salzburg dropped into a more compact shape, baiting Pachuca’s defenders to carry the ball forward or try line-breaking passes into their midfielders.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
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Its ideal participant emerges as the antithesis of the troll, whose preferred genres of speech—railing, jeering, baiting—would have been familiar to any late-seventeenth-century reader.—
Merve Emre,
New Yorker,
16 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Needle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/needle. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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