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 dropNot 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:
Cite this Entry
“Dime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dime. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.
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