A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mr. Ireland indicates the uneven power dynamics involved when Leigh, though squirming at the idea, is needled into answering the same repulsive question, settling on Margaret Thatcher.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
During the July 2025 interview, there were some tense moments: Owens needled Fuentes over why he hadn’t married and started a family.
From Salon ● Jan. 2, 2026
During the session in 2017, he needled Rex Tillerson - urging him to describe Russian President Vladimir Putin as a war criminal which Tillerson refused to do.
From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2025
McRae’s hometown is often needled as Canada’s Texas, best known for its annual massive Stampede rodeo.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2023
A soft-skinned boy in glasses with taffy-colored hair and the finest trace of a mustache needled across his lip.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
