1
as in syringes
a slender hollow instrument by which material is put into or taken from the body through the skin
the nurse inserted the needle into his vein and collected some blood for testing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in teases
to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults
we needled him mercilessly for thinking that he had any chance of being the prom date for the school's most popular girl
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in dogs
to subject (someone) to constant scoldings and sharp reminders
quit needling me! I'll take out the trash in a minute!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of needles
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 3 Mar. 2026
Med spa workers perform procedures with chemicals, needles and devices that carry risk for injury.
—Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2026
The changes include requiring programs to enforce a one-to-one ratio between the number of dirty needles someone takes in and the amount of clean needles that are handed out.
—Hayleigh Colombo, IndyStar, 26 Feb. 2026
Shadow went out and came back later with some fluff — soft material such as pine needles, moss or grass — to warm and cushion the egg.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
They were pinched, prodded, cut, shocked, pierced with needles, struck with canes, and burned with acid.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Other sufferers, however, who submitted entries to the 1983 Migraine Art Competition, depicted their pain in drawings and paintings of nails, needles, axes, ice picks, arrows, bolts, jaws, chisels, shivs, guns, red-hot spears, sledgehammers, devils, and long pins.
—Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
Favorites like needles no more NO MORE BAGGAGE, bright this way C SCRIPTION and more are also available.
—Tory Johnson, ABC News, 24 Feb. 2026
The forest floor was soft, blanketed with moss, pine needles, and clover.
—Elizabeth Flock, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
Jake needles Harry about the past 50 years, but Harry can only offer scraps of history.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Jan. 2026
Noun
Some feature blue-green or silver-tinged foliage, others lustrous golden needles.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 3 Mar. 2026
Med spa workers perform procedures with chemicals, needles and devices that carry risk for injury.
—Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2026
The changes include requiring programs to enforce a one-to-one ratio between the number of dirty needles someone takes in and the amount of clean needles that are handed out.
—Hayleigh Colombo, IndyStar, 26 Feb. 2026
Shadow went out and came back later with some fluff — soft material such as pine needles, moss or grass — to warm and cushion the egg.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
They were pinched, prodded, cut, shocked, pierced with needles, struck with canes, and burned with acid.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Other sufferers, however, who submitted entries to the 1983 Migraine Art Competition, depicted their pain in drawings and paintings of nails, needles, axes, ice picks, arrows, bolts, jaws, chisels, shivs, guns, red-hot spears, sledgehammers, devils, and long pins.
—Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
Favorites like needles no more NO MORE BAGGAGE, bright this way C SCRIPTION and more are also available.
—Tory Johnson, ABC News, 24 Feb. 2026
The forest floor was soft, blanketed with moss, pine needles, and clover.
—Elizabeth Flock, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Verb
As Thea’s former suitor, Tesman struggles to call her by her married name, a slip of the tongue that Hedda constantly needles him about.
—Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
Jake needles Harry about the past 50 years, but Harry can only offer scraps of history.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for needles
Noun
-
Hiring has begun to recover in aerospace and computer systems design, and goods movement indicators — including port activity and air cargo volumes — have rebounded to or exceeded pre-pandemic levels.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Some recent economic indicators have pointed to a pickup in growth in the early part of 2026.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Dunkin' teases more ways to celebrate are coming later this month.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
4 Mar. 2026
-
The trailer teases a mix of comedy and emotional reckoning as the couple navigates resentment, vulnerability and shifting control while racing to restore Lindy to her regular size.—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But what Mom noticed most were the thoughtful touches—yoga mats in the closet, dogs padding through the lobby of this pet-friendly property, bikes ready for guests to explore.—
Lisa A. Beach,
Southern Living,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Her first concern, Bloor said, was getting the family dogs out of the room before anything escalated.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
18 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But indexes fell in Europe as oil prices began to accelerate.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
European stock indexes were slightly higher in early trade, while US futures were broadly flat.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
So much for Anthropic's Super Bowl taunts.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
10 Feb. 2026
-
In a 30-second clip, Adams is seen leaving a jet bridge while a woman who is walking ahead of him seemingly taunts Adams.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Bill Clinton, with a calmer demeanor and visibly shaking hands, denied having any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Post the performance, the humanoid shook hands with Honor CEO James Li, and also performed a clean backflip that landed flawlessly, leaving the viewers amazed, meeting a ripple of applause across the room.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Setting traps and baits eradicates or, at least, discourages these pests from tunneling through your garden and nibbling roots to damage perennials and shrubs.—
Barbara Gillette,
The Spruce,
15 Jan. 2026
-
This Christmas, Nelson’s surprising and fresh remake baits controversy in a couple new ways.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
11 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Others have issues with the imagery on the seal on the flag, which depicts a settler plowing the land as a Native American rides off on horseback into the distance.—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
28 Feb. 2026
-
The car handles well and rides smoothly.—
Hartford Courant,
Hartford Courant,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Needles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/needles. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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