1
a
: a coin of the U.S. worth ¹/₁₀ dollar
b
: a petty sum of money
2
: a Canadian 10-cent piece
3
slang
: a packet containing 10 dollars worth of an illicit drug (such as marijuana)
called also dime bag
4
informal
: money provided to pay expenses
Executives in a perk-rich environment get used to living on the company's dime [=on the company's money; at the company's expense]—
James Surowiecki
James SurowieckiThey hopped a Greyhound, on their own dime, and had such a good time they stayed on …—Mark Ribowsky
Mark RibowskyThe boys are worthless, feckless layabouts, living off David's dime.—Whitney Pastorek
Whitney Pastorek5
informal
a
basketball
: a pass by a player who enables a teammate to make a basket
Harden ended up recording his first triple-double of the season with 44 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. He delivered seven dimes to Capela …—Tim MacMahon
—often used with dropTim MacMahonNot only was he scoring in the post and grabbing rebounds, he also was dropping dimes [=making passes to enable teammates to score] including a flashy pass to Chance Coyle.—Hendrix Magley
Hendrix Magley
b
American football
: an accurate pass by a quarterback to a receiver
—often used with drop
He spun out of sacks and threw on the run, dropping dimes down the field that few quarterbacks in history could be trusted to deliver.—Ryan Kartje
Ryan KartjeExamples of dime in a Sentence
the beauty of this deal is that all the extras won't cost you a dime
Recent Examples on the Web
Parry Nickerson has been the team’s dime defender, and notably, Fangio did not turn to him on Thursday night.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
At its peak, Battlefield 6’s story mode operates on the same wavelength as late-2000s military shooters, where morally gray acts of war are a dime a dozen, punctuated by the shock value of domestic threats played out with an immersive POV.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2025
When the flight is covered, staying a little longer and exploring on your own dime starts to feel worth it.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 9 Oct. 2025
Plus, most items are on sale and won’t cost you a dime over $30.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dime
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Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
At its peak, Battlefield 6’s story mode operates on the same wavelength as late-2000s military shooters, where morally gray acts of war are a dime a dozen, punctuated by the shock value of domestic threats played out with an immersive POV.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2025
When the flight is covered, staying a little longer and exploring on your own dime starts to feel worth it.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 9 Oct. 2025
Plus, most items are on sale and won’t cost you a dime over $30.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dime
Cite this Entry
“Dime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dime. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
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