needle

[ need-l ]

/ ˈnid l /

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See synonyms for: needle / needled / needles / needling on Thesaurus.com

noun

a small, slender, rodlike instrument, usually of polished steel, with a sharp point at one end and an eye or hole for thread at the other, for passing thread through cloth to make stitches in sewing.

any of various similar, usually considerably larger, implements for making stitches, as one for use in knitting or one hooked at the end for use in crocheting.

Medicine/Medical.

a slender, pointed, steel instrument used in sewing or piercing tissues, as in suturing.
hypodermic needle.

Informal. an injection of a drug or medicine; shot.

any of various objects resembling or suggesting a needle.

the tapered stylus at the end of a phonographic tonearm, used to transmit vibrations from a record groove to a transducer for conversion to audible signals.

Electricity. magnetic needle.

a pointed instrument, or stylus, used in engraving, etching, or the like.

Botany. a needle-shaped leaf, as of a conifer: a pine needle.

Zoology. a slender sharp spicule.

Chemistry, Mineralogy. a needlelike crystal.

a sharp-pointed mass or pinnacle of rock.

an obelisk or a tapering, four-sided shaft of stone: Cleopatra's Needle.

Also called needle beam .Building Trades. a short beam passed through a wall as a temporary support.

verb (used with object), nee·dled, nee·dling.

to sew or pierce with or as if with a needle: to needle a patch on a sleeve.

Informal.

to prod or goad (someone) to a specified action: We needled her into going with us.
to tease: We needled him about his big ears.

Slang. to add alcohol or ether to (a beverage): to needle beer.

verb (used without object), nee·dled, nee·dling.

to form needles in crystallization.

to work with a needle.

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Idioms about needle

on the needle, Slang. taking drugs by injection, especially habitually.

the needle, Informal. irritating abuse; teasing; heckling (used especially in the phrases give someone the needle and get the needle).

Origin of needle

First recorded before 900; 1880–85 for def. 16; Middle English nedle, Old English nǣdl, cognate with German Nadel; akin to Latin nēre to spin

OTHER WORDS FROM needle

nee·dle·like, adjective

Words nearby needle

needed, needfire, needful, Needham, neediness, needle, needle bearing, needle biopsy, needlecord, needlecraft, needle exchange

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use needle in a sentence

You keep adding relevant, high-quality new content, but the needle barely moves.
How to teach an old blog new SEO tricks|Tom Pick|August 27, 2020|Search Engine Watch
We had a data operation that showed how we could do it, but it was really going to be threading the needle.
Full Transcript: Sean Spicer on ‘The Carlos Watson Show’|Daniel Malloy|August 26, 2020|Ozy
In college, I volunteered to have a needle jabbed into the fleshy part between my thumb and forefinger in the name of acupuncture.
We Need New, Safer Ways to Treat Pain. Could Electroacupuncture Be One?|Shelly Fan|August 18, 2020|Singularity Hub
It was a test of a new type of needle that his team has invented.
Silk-based microneedles may help treat diseased plants|Kathryn Hulick|June 18, 2020|Science News For Students

A microneedle pokes into the skin just a fraction as deeply as an ordinary needle.
Micro-barbs could make shots less painful|Stephen Ornes|May 13, 2020|Science News For Students
There, he first picked up needle and thread to mend the shirt of an SS guard who had just beaten him.
From Auschwitz to the White House: One Tailor’s American Tale|Martin Greenfield|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
All of these may factor into the inability to move the needle on the scale.
‘The Biggest Loser’ Could Be TV’s Most Important Show Ever|Daniela Drake|September 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A sheet covered his body from the neck down, making it impossible to see where, exactly, the needle had been inserted.
Lifting the Curtain on Oklahoma's Botched Lethal Injection|Caitlin Dickson|August 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For instance, in one study, white subjects were shown videos of people being stuck with a needle.
The Question in St. Louis County: Can Whites Empathize With Blacks?|Sally Kohn|August 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Lydia also gets her vitals checked, arm rubbed with alcohol, and glove-covered hands safely inserting the needle.
The I.V. Doc Comes to Your House, Fights Hangovers, and Wins|Abby Haglage|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The needle of the archdruidress broke, as she shook her head viciously at the scoffer.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
The individual prisms are usually slender, with one beveled, wedge-like end, but are sometimes needle-like.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
She was so handy with a needle, and allus ready to cut out calico dingusses that the peon gals could sew up.
Alec Lloyd, Cowpuncher|Eleanor Gates
Yellowish or brown, needle-like or rhombic crystals of hematoidin (Fig. 32) may be seen after hemorrhage into the bowel.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
The dip of the south end of the needle at Goulburn Island was 27 degrees 32 1/2 minutes.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King

British Dictionary definitions for needle

needle

/ (ˈniːdəl) /

noun

a pointed slender piece of metal, usually steel, with a hole or eye in it through which thread is passed for sewing

a somewhat larger rod with a point at one or each end, used in knitting

a similar instrument with a hook at one end for crocheting

another name for stylus (def. 3)
a small thin pointed device, esp one made of stainless steel, used to transmit the vibrations from a gramophone record to the pick-up

med

the long hollow pointed part of a hypodermic syringe, which is inserted into the body
an informal name for hypodermic syringe

surgery a pointed steel instrument, often curved, for suturing, puncturing, or ligating

a long narrow stiff leaf, esp of a conifer, in which water loss is greatly reducedpine needles

any slender sharp spine, such as the spine of a sea urchin

any slender pointer for indicating the reading on the scale of a measuring instrument

short for magnetic needle

a crystal resembling a needle in shape

a sharp pointed metal instrument used in engraving and etching

anything long and pointed, such as an obeliska needle of light

a short horizontal beam passed through a wall and supported on vertical posts to take the load of the upper part of the wall

informal

anger or intense rivalry, esp in a sporting encounter
(as modifier)a needle match

get the needle or have the needle British informal to feel dislike, distaste, nervousness, or annoyance (for)she got the needle after he had refused her invitation

verb

(tr) informal to goad or provoke, as by constant criticism

(tr) to sew, embroider, or prick (fabric) with a needle

(tr) US to increase the alcoholic strength of (beer or other beverages)

(intr) (of a substance) to form needle-shaped crystals

Word Origin for needle

Old English nǣdl; related to Gothic nēthla, German Nadel

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for needle

needle

[ nēd′l ]

A narrow, stiff leaf, as of firs, pines, and other conifers. The reduced surface area of needles minimizes water loss and allows needle-bearing plants to live in dry climates. See more at leaf.

See hypodermic needle.

Other Idioms and Phrases with needle

needle

In addition to the idiom beginning with needle

needle in a haystack
needless to say

also see:

on pins and needles

needle

Idioms about needle

Origin of needle

OTHER WORDS FROM needle

Words nearby needle

Words related to needle

How to use needle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for needle

Word Origin for needle

Scientific definitions for needle

Other Idioms and Phrases with needle