dime

noun

1
a
: a coin of the U.S. worth ¹/₁₀ 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
Phrases
a dime a dozen
: so plentiful or commonplace as to be of little esteem or slight value
on a dime
1
: in a very small area
these cars can turn on a dime
2

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 James Beard Award winners are a dime a dozen in this city, but what's equally impressive is the diversity of cuisine found here. Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2024 If someone’s getting 700 million streams and the songwriter’s barely seeing a dime, that’s not fair. Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 29 Feb. 2024 Strokes, sudden heart attacks, cancer, car accidents, or even slipping in the tub can change life on a dime. Carolyn McClanahan, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Already, a chain gas station down the road has undercut his gasoline prices by a dime. Kim Severson, New York Times, 29 Jan. 2024 But what is perhaps the most iconic show in Las Vegas won’t cost you a dime. Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 25 Jan. 2024 The city, according to the records, hasn’t paid a dime to any of those drivers. Emily Brindley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Feb. 2024 The taxing concerns: Not a dime in strike pay was withheld to cover taxes. Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 7 Feb. 2024 Tran didn’t spend a dime on marketing, but his product found fans across the country and was celebrated by chefs and celebrities like Miley Cyrus. Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dime.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of dime was in 1786

Dictionary Entries Near dime

Cite this Entry

“Dime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dime. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dime

noun
: 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

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