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
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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!
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of needle
Diana Hubbell, Popular Science, 10 Sep. 2025
Boise State beat Eastern Washington 51-14 last Friday, but a win over an FCS opponent doesn’t move the needle, no matter how impressive.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 10 Sep. 2025
Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 8 Aug. 2025
One ayatollah in particular, Ruhollah Khomeini, needled the Shah incessantly.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for needle
Noun
While that’s not going to dramatically move the needle, every little bit helps.
—Diana Hubbell, Popular Science, 10 Sep. 2025
Boise State beat Eastern Washington 51-14 last Friday, but a win over an FCS opponent doesn’t move the needle, no matter how impressive.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
Kahn, an immigrant from Laos who loves to needle Hank for being a hillbilly, was voiced by a white actor, Toby Huss, during King of the Hill’s original Fox run, which ended in 2009.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 8 Aug. 2025
One ayatollah in particular, Ruhollah Khomeini, needled the Shah incessantly.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for needle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for needle
Noun
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It's supplied in a compact 30-ml syringe and can be quickly applied in the field before a patient bleeds out, a risk responsible for more than 35% of all prehospital deaths.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
5 Sep. 2025
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As Prater raises his weapon to fire at Dexter, Harrison sticks the syringe deep inside his chest.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Layoffs, a concerning indicator of a potential downturn, haven’t yet accelerated.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
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The most severe drop was in press freedom when compared with five years ago, but the indicator for the credibility of elections was at its lowest in 30 years.—
Matthew Tostevin
John Feng,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As of Tuesday night, South Park’s X account still hasn’t teased any hints of what Episode 5 will be about, something the show has done consistently before the previous three episodes.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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Cardi teased on Today about the follow-up to her smash 2018 debut LP, Invasion of Privacy.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Ironically, later in the afternoon, power struggles with a friend also might dog your steps.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
10 Sep. 2025
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Already, productivity declines are dogging the industry.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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According to Arya, the index allows investors to track a very different opportunity than what is captured in major benchmarks.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
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To formulate a comprehensive ESG index, multiple Key Performance Indicators were collected.—
TIME Staff,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The two half-brothers had argued frequently, taunted one another online, and called each other derogatory names, both sides agreed.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 2025
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Investigators have searched Robinson's home and interviewed family members, uncovering ammunition engraved with taunting messages and online activity suggesting radicalization.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry
Joshua Rhett Miller,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Fed officials consider core to be a better gauge of long-run trends.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
11 Sep. 2025
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For a higher performance product, the panels are manufactured with light gauge steel, bumping the pricing up to $85 per foot.—
Jennifer Castenson,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Brother Dusk detonates explosives that shatter the cryonic chamber of Cleon clones, bodies raining down in blood and glass, before plucking a single embryo from the wreckage to bait Demerzel’s deepest programming.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
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Consequently, Villa are not reaping the same success in baiting opponents into pressing them, before playing around the pressure and attacking the vacated space.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Needle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/needle. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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