needle drop

noun

plural needle drops

1

: the dropping of needles by a conifer (such as a spruce, yew, or pine)

Fall needle drop occurs each year …

—Deborah Brown

2

: a popular song used in a film or television show for dramatic effect

… heavy metal needle drops add a flourish to sword fights …

—Robert Daniels

—often hyphenated when used before another noun

needle-drop scores

Examples of needle drop in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Staging a great needle drop isn’t the same thing as directing a great movie. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 July 2026

Rock luminaries including Jackson Browne, Beck, Karen O and Jenny Lewis reimagine Anderson’s beloved needle drops, culminating in a raucous Bowl singalong punctuated by Bill Murray hammering a $9 desk bell. — Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026

This whole idea, in general, of doing a James Gunn impression, with space bar fights and needle drops during slow-motion circular spinning fight scenes. — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026

From his first Guardians of the Galaxy movie on, Gunn established himself as the master of the movie soundtrack and the all-important needle drop, earning praise for finding the right song and dropping it at the right time. — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 3 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for needle drop

• barbershop
• countertop
• lollipop
• mountaintop
• photoshop
• tabletop
• turboprop
• atop
• backdrop
• backstop
• bebop
• blacktop