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 an incredibly deep top nine with several guys who truly move the needle at both ends of the ice.—The Athletic Nhl, New York Times, 3 May 2025 Rather than replacing people, this ability to adapt can empower your team to focus on the work that truly moves the needle.—Ellie Perlman, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
Verb
Aukerman, now with a much brasher energy, starts needling Mantzoukas, who bandies jokes back across the net.—Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024 The Defender’s large footprint is justified by its considerable luggage capacity, but at the end of the day, the challenges of needling the 110 through narrow roadways and squeezing it into tight parking spots can become a chore.—Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 1 Apr. 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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