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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of needle
Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 24 Jan. 2026
Milwaukee's community-wide effort became a national model for needle-moving change, and was ultimately recognized by President Obama's Social Innovation Fund.
—Thomas Koetting, jsonline.com, 24 Jan. 2026
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 1 Dec. 2025
Kamran continued to needle Zain, joking about the apples.
—Daniyal Mueenuddin, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for needle
Noun
The decision wasn't a needle-mover.
—Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 24 Jan. 2026
Milwaukee's community-wide effort became a national model for needle-moving change, and was ultimately recognized by President Obama's Social Innovation Fund.
—Thomas Koetting, jsonline.com, 24 Jan. 2026
Verb
One of the movie’s key conversation starters will be its audacious use of music, from Daniel Lopatin’s shimmering orchestral score to needle drops that evoke both the 1950s setting and the 1980s vibe of the filmmaking.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 1 Dec. 2025
Kamran continued to needle Zain, joking about the apples.
—Daniyal Mueenuddin, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for needle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for needle
Noun
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Video footage shows Omar at the town hall, calling for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and for Homeland Security Kristi Noem to resign when a man jumps in front of her and sprays liquid from a syringe on her shirt.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Photos of the syringe, which fell when the man was tackled, show what appears to be a light-brown liquid inside.—
Michael Biesecker,
Fortune,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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And that belief turns out to be one of the clearest indicators of leadership maturity.—
Dev Patnaik,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
An indicator of overall loan demand improved for a second quarter but remained far below its level in late 2024, according to a separate survey of banks.—
Bloomberg,
Bloomberg,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In August 2025, the company announced plans to enter the automotive sector and teased two concept cars that drew heavy comparisons to the Bugatti Chiron and Rolls-Royce Cullinan.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Jan. 2026
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Also at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, Cyrus teased a potential return to the beloved, wig-wearing character.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Better with a Buddy — Adopt one cat, kitten or dog and get the second one (within a year) for $25.—
Ut Community Press,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Enjoy off-slope winter activities, from snowmobiling to dog sledding.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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During both the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, the strongest brands fell less, recovered faster, and ended up higher than market indices.—
Steven Wolfe Pereira,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed amid mostly modest movements in Europe following some sharper swings in Asia.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Raiklin calmly taunted Fanone for needing to be restrained.—
Brian Niemietz,
Mercury News,
23 Jan. 2026
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In a 30-second clip, Adams is seen leaving a jet bridge while a woman who is walking ahead of him seemingly taunts Adams.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Trump absolutely loathes Crockett, who might bait the President to intervene in the GOP primary.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
26 Jan. 2026
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They're known as problem crocodiles, though catching them is fairly easy, in cages baited with wild boar meat.—
Holly Williams,
CBS News,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Professionals are implicitly urged to respond faster, compress the calendar and add more tracking to show work in motion.—
Dilan Gomih,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Manhattan prosecutors urged a judge on Wednesday to set a July trial date in Luigi Mangione's state murder case in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, two months before jury selection in his federal death penalty case.—
MICHAEL R. SISAK THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Needle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/needle. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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