needle
noun
\
Definition of needle
(Entry 1 of 2)
needle
verb
, ˈnē-dᵊl-iŋ \
Definition of needle (Entry 2 of 2)
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from needle
Noun
\
adjective
Verb
, ˈnē-dᵊl-ər \
noun
Synonyms for needle
Synonyms: Noun
hype [slang], hypodermic, hypodermic needle, hypodermic syringe, syringe
Synonyms: Verb
bait, hassle, haze, heckle, ride, taunt, tease
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of needle in a Sentence
Noun
I need a needle and thread to sew the button on your shirt. The needle on the scale points to 9 grams. The compass needle points north.Verb
His classmates needled him about his new haircut. we needled him mercilessly for thinking that he had any chance of being the prom date for the school's most popular girl
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Tessa Thompson has gotten used to threading the needle between nostalgia and creating something new. — Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, "Tessa Thompson on the 'Men in Black' Line She Declined to Say," 14 June 2019 Second, Miller threaded the needle between staying loyal to that first Tremors film and making a more 2018-appropriate TV series. — Nathan Mattise, Ars Technica, "Kevin Bacon shares the Tremors TV pilot—Val is washed, Graboids are hungry," 9 June 2019 Getting into Pitcairn’s harbor is the marine equivalent of threading a needle while riding a roller coaster. — Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, "Exploring Polynesia's Islands by Cruise," 28 June 2019 Finding little support from her superiors in Beijing, Lam is still trying to thread the needle of restoring order without making concessions that would weaken her standing. — Keith Bradsher, BostonGlobe.com, "Protesters return to Hong Kong’s streets, rejecting leader’s apology," 16 June 2019 Woodland, much like Graeme McDowell in 2010, is a solid player who doesn’t really move the needle. — Ron Kroichick, SFChronicle.com, "Pebble Beach more than holds its own in latest spin as U.S. Open host," 17 June 2019 At that scale, finding new assets with the potential to move the needle is a challenge. — Charley Grant, WSJ, "Growth Is Worth Paying Up for at Pfizer," 17 June 2019 Black creators are setting the trends, moving the needle and informing where the worlds of fashion, beauty, and lifestyle are headed. — Essence, "Shop Black: The African Wax Ties That Will Actually Make Your Dad Happy This Father's Day," 13 June 2019 Only House Democratic leadership—which mostly consists of septuagenarian millionaires—could think that Dean’s testimony would move the needle. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, "Democrats Are Losing This Made-for-TV Moment," 12 June 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Meanwhile Wu has pushed and often needled the administration on other matters, ranging from regulating short-term rental and lobbying industries to advocating for a wetlands ordinance and for the city to purchase clean energy only. — Milton J. Valencia, BostonGlobe.com, "Michelle Wu says Boston is ready for change. But is Boston ready for Michelle Wu?," 30 June 2019 Henry underwent laser treatment and dry needling to break up the scar tissue, and within minutes the nerve was firing correctly again, Jeff Henry said. — Brody Miller, nola.com, "LSU freshman Cole Henry left super regional with nerve issue, expected to be ready by fall," 11 June 2019 Mary Louise manages to unsettle grieving daughter-in-law Celeste (Nicole Kidman) and needle the overbearing Madeline (Reese Witherspoon). — Hal Boedeker, orlandosentinel.com, "Meryl Streep, Doris Day, ‘Ripley’s Believe It or Not!’: Weekend for legends," 7 June 2019 Painted into a corner politically and economically by sanctions, Iran has long sought to push its interests and needle its enemies through the internet. — Robert Mcmillan, WSJ, "Tech Giants Target Accounts Linked to Iran," 23 Aug. 2018 Sometimes wrinkles correspond to acupuncture points on the face, which can be needled for their location and not necessarily for their function, DiLibero explains. — Roxanne Adamiyatt, Town & Country, "What Exactly Is Facial Acupuncture — And Why You Should Try It," 6 Feb. 2019 Kemp needled Cagle over the surreptitious recording that surfaced last month. — Chris Stirewalt, Fox News, "Trump scores on his own goal," 16 July 2018 While Tehran often needles its rivals with harsh rhetoric, Iran’s leaders had been muted in responding to Mr. Khashoggi’s killing, stepping back as international pressure on Saudi Arabia rose sharply. — Asa Fitch, WSJ, "Iran Slams Saudis Over Dissident Killing, Suggests U.S. Ties Were Key," 24 Oct. 2018 Those ties are so thick that Uruguay striker Luis Suarez needled Griezmann this week for trying to be Uruguayan. — baltimoresun.com, "What to watch for in today's World Cup quarterfinal matchups," 6 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'needle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for needle
needle
noun
English Language Learners Definition of needle
(Entry 1 of 2)
needle
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of needle (Entry 2 of 2)
See the full definition for needle in the English Language Learners Dictionary
needle
noun
\
Kids Definition of needle
(Entry 1 of 2)
needle
verbKids Definition of needle (Entry 2 of 2)
needle
noun
\
Medical Definition of needle
(Entry 1 of 2)
needle
transitive verb
\
Medical Definition of needle (Entry 2 of 2)
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on needle
What made you want to look up needle? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Farm Idioms Quiz
-
- What does 'poke' refer to in the expression 'pig in a poke'?
Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
-
Farm Idioms Quiz
Not your children's farm quiz.
Take the quiz -
Up in the Sky: A Quiz
It's a bird? It's a plane? No, I'm really asking. What is it?
Take the quiz -
Name That Thing
Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
Take the quiz -
Syn City
Build a city of skyscrapers—one synonym at a time.
Play the game
Share needle
Resources for needle