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
James SurowieckiThey hopped a Greyhound, on their own dime, and had such a good time they stayed on …—Mark Ribowsky
Mark RibowskyThe boys are worthless, feckless layabouts, living off David's dime.—Whitney Pastorek
Whitney Pastorek5
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 dropTim MacMahonNot 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
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
Ryan Kartjesee also a dime a dozen, on a dime
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
Get a Taste of Puerto Rico Seafood and Southern restaurants are a dime a dozen in Palm Bay, but something a little less easy to find is Latin cuisine.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 15 Dec. 2025
Tua Tagovailoa needs to throw one of those 40-yard dimes to Jaylen Waddle, or thread the needle with a touchdown pass to Darren Waller, getting it through the outstretched arms of a defender.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 14 Dec. 2025
The new dimes will look much, much different.
—Addy Bink, The Hill, 14 Dec. 2025
Drake raps about guns with the glee of getting away with gunplay while his rhyme partner veers on a dime from trauma to gallows humor.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dime
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Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 15 Dec. 2025
Tua Tagovailoa needs to throw one of those 40-yard dimes to Jaylen Waddle, or thread the needle with a touchdown pass to Darren Waller, getting it through the outstretched arms of a defender.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 14 Dec. 2025
The new dimes will look much, much different.
—Addy Bink, The Hill, 14 Dec. 2025
Drake raps about guns with the glee of getting away with gunplay while his rhyme partner veers on a dime from trauma to gallows humor.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dime
Cite this Entry
“Dime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dime. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025.
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