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 Kartje
see also:
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
Towns added 16 points, 12 rebounds and four dimes on the night.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2026
This is a constant problem for Hill in trying to manage tone in a movie that jumps from light to dark on a dime, and repeats the pattern constantly.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 9 Apr. 2026
The budget line gives council members wide discretion to cover official duties, but in the past has also raised questions about political patronage and nepotism on the public dime.
—Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
After three or four minutes, however, an area the size of a dime around the cut turned white and started to swell.
—Dr. C. E. Kuschel, Outdoor Life, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dime
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Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2026
This is a constant problem for Hill in trying to manage tone in a movie that jumps from light to dark on a dime, and repeats the pattern constantly.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 9 Apr. 2026
The budget line gives council members wide discretion to cover official duties, but in the past has also raised questions about political patronage and nepotism on the public dime.
—Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
After three or four minutes, however, an area the size of a dime around the cut turned white and started to swell.
—Dr. C. E. Kuschel, Outdoor Life, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dime
Cite this Entry
“Dime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dime. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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