dime

noun

ˈdīm 

1

a

: a coin of the U.S. worth ⅒ dollar

b

: a petty sum of money

2

: a Canadian 10-cent piece

3

slang : a packet containing 10 dollars' worth of an illicit drug (such as marijuana)

called also dime bag

4

informal : money provided to pay expenses

Executives in a perk-rich environment get used to living on the company's dime [=on the company's money; at the company's expense]

—James Surowiecki

They hopped a Greyhound, on their own dime, and had such a good time they stayed on …

—Mark Ribowsky

The boys are worthless, feckless layabouts, living off David's dime.

—Whitney Pastorek

5

informal

a

basketball : a pass by a player who enables a teammate to make a basket

Harden ended up recording his first triple-double of the season with 44 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. He delivered seven dimes to Capela …

—Tim MacMahon

—often used with drop

Not only was he scoring in the post and grabbing rebounds, he also was dropping dimes [=making passes to enable teammates to score] including a flashy pass to Chance Coyle.

—Hendrix Magley

b

American football : an accurate pass by a quarterback to a receiver

—often used with drop

He spun out of sacks and threw on the run, dropping dimes down the field that few quarterbacks in history could be trusted to deliver.

—Ryan Kartje

see also:

a dime a dozen on a dime

Synonyms of dime

• peanuts
• hay
• pittance

Examples of dime in a Sentence

the beauty of this deal is that all the extras won't cost you a dime

Recent Examples on the Web

Pairing those two together in nickel and dime packages could create uncanny pre-snap looks for opposing offenses. —Mike Kaye updated March 5, Charlotte Observer, 5 Mar. 2026

Shula loves to live in dime coverage with six defensive backs on the field, giving Lake and McDuffie a chance to play inside at times. —Nate Atkins, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2026

Donte DiVincenzo was excellent, tallying 17 points on the strength of five triples to go with five dimes. —Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 1 Mar. 2026

Her best pass Thursday was a 45-foot dime that Landrie Callahan caught in stride for a 3-point play. —Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, tenth part, tithe, from Anglo-French disme, dime, from Latin decima, from feminine of decimus tenth, from decem ten — more at ten

First Known Use

1786, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing dime

• a dime a dozen
• dime novel
• dime-store
• drop a dime
• five-and-dime
• half dime
• nickel-and-dime
• not cost a dime/nickel
• on a dime

Rhymes for dime

• chime
• chyme
• climb
• clime
• crime
• grime
• lime
• lyme
• mime
• prime
• rhyme
• slime

Kids Definition

dime

noun

ˈdīm 

: a U.S. coin worth ⅒ dollar

Etymology

Middle English dime "a tenth part," from early French dime (same meaning), derived from Latin decimus "a tenth part," from decem "ten" — related to december, decimal, dozen