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
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Noun
That’s the kind of real-world utility that actually moves the needle.—Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025 The Senate begins its marathon debate about President Donald Trump's package of legislative priorities as Republicans try to thread the needle for tax cuts, Medicaid reforms and border security funding with a narrow majority.—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 30 June 2025
Verb
Tennis legend Chris Evert needled WNBA players for lack of sportsmanship following Tuesday night’s skirmish that saw Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark get poked in the eye and shoved to the ground in a game against the Connecticut Sun.—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2025 On the set, between takes, Anne needled her assistant, Young Sun, who was arranging ricotta gnocchi on a sheet pan.—Allen Salkin, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for needle
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English nedle, from Old English nǣdl; akin to Old High German nādala needle, nājan to sew, Latin nēre to spin, Greek nēn
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
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