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
Relevance
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
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of needle
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
But that doesn’t mean this won’t be a tough needle to thread.
—Jayson Stark, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Brett Samuels, The Hill, 18 Aug. 2025
Trump at one point needled Zelenskyy over Ukraine delaying elections.
—Aamer Madhani, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for needle
Noun
This was a great moment when game met celeb, which is always the trickiest needle to thread on The Tonight Show.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
But that doesn’t mean this won’t be a tough needle to thread.
—Jayson Stark, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
The Ukrainian leader also wore more formal attire, something that did not go unnoticed by pro-Trump reporter Brian Glenn, who in February needled Zelensky for his lack of a suit.
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 18 Aug. 2025
Trump at one point needled Zelenskyy over Ukraine delaying elections.
—Aamer Madhani, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for needle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for needle
Noun
-
Unfortunately, in the process, he's stabbed by the syringe Mehta intended for Lo and dies.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
10 Oct. 2025
-
It's loaded with great tools like a stethoscope, a blood pressure cuff, a syringe, a rolling thermometer and more.—
Nora Colomer
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
These spinning air and dust columns present a visual indicator for otherwise invisible wind movements.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Adams said turnout during a non-presidential primary election is typically around 15% statewide, and statistics from 2022 and 2023 are indicators on what to expect in 2026.—
Hannah Pinski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Jay Som is teasing her new album Belong (out Friday) with a song featuring Hayley Williams.—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
7 Oct. 2025
-
The creative teams tease what's ahead in 2026 from IDW Dark.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Allen has dogged controversy since having an affair with his partner Mia Farrow’s adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
13 Oct. 2025
-
The health care debate has dogged Congress ever since the Affordable Care Act became law under then-President Barak Obama in 2010.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
If investor sentiment around AI sours, or if progress stalls owing to technological bottlenecks or supply constraints, equity prices could tumble—and, given the degree of market concentration, such an adjustment would ripple rapidly through broad market indices, affecting millions of investors.—
Jessica Coacci,
Fortune,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Tuesday's pullback broke the S & P 500's seven-session win streak, but the index was bouncing back thanks to a rebound in AI infrastructure and technology stocks.—
Jeff Marks,Paulina Likos,
CNBC,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Political fevers heightened with the near‑constant barrage of national cable news, usually spun by left‑ or right‑leaning media and amplified by taunting tweets.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Goldberg and Behar taunted producer Brian Teta for rushing the EGOT-winning actress along during a Hot Topics chat.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
From cozy cashmere knitwear to fine-gauge standbys from Vince and Iro, there are tons of goodies.—
Kristina Rutkowski,
Vogue,
8 Oct. 2025
-
That trend is supported by the Conference Board’s gauge of whether jobs are easy to get or hard to find, which fell to the lowest level since early 2021 and points to an increase in unemployment.—
Danny Bakst,
Fortune,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Falcons will be particularly careful about the way Allen uses his pre-snap cadence to force penalties and try to bait defenses into revealing clues about their coverage plans, Elliss said.—
Josh Kendall,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Amazon is really baiting us to breakup with our iPads by offering 50% off the newest generation of their Fire tablet.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Needle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/needle. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share