needlepoint

American  

[need-l-point] / ˈnid lˌpɔɪnt /

noun

1. embroidery upon canvas, usually with uniform spacing of stitches in a pattern.

---

adjective

1. done or executed in needlepoint.

   a needlepoint cushion.

2. noting a lace needlepoint lace in which a needle works out the design upon parchment or paper.

verb (used with or without object)

1. to execute or create in needlepoint.

   to needlepoint an evening bag; to needlepoint as a hobby.

needlepoint British  

/ ˈniːdəlˌpɔɪnt /

noun

1. embroidery done on canvas with the same stitch throughout so as to resemble tapestry

2. another name for point lace

---

Other Word Forms

• needlepointer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of needlepoint

First recorded in 1690–1700; needle + point

Explanation

Needlepoint is a traditional art form that's done with thread on thick fabric. If your grandmother has a pillow with "Home Sweet Home" stitched on it, it's probably a work of needlepoint. When you do needlepoint, you use various colors of a thick thread or an even thicker yarn, stitching it through a stiff material with an open, grid-like weave. Using a pattern or your own design, your needlepoint creation might, for example, be a portrait of a cat you can on the wall or make into a pillow. Another type of needlepoint is lace that's made with a needle — this is the earlier meaning of the word, from the mid-1800s.

Example Sentences

Inside Dorothy’s Kansan house, a once-shadowed frying pan on the wall now dangles front and center, as does a digitally added “Home Sweet Home” needlepoint nailed to the threshold.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 3, 2025

The two also became business partners, opening a needlepoint shop on the Upper East Side called 2 Needles.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 7, 2024

Zoe Kurland: Even though the Troy School was different, these learned women still found themselves graduating into a world where they would be expected to cook and clean and needlepoint and smell nice and whatever.

From Scientific American • Nov. 9, 2023

“It Is About the Weight,” proclaims a cushion stitched in needlepoint by Berlin.

From New York Times • Jul. 11, 2023

Mrs. Nielsen teaches me to needlepoint; while she’s making intricately detailed pillows for the sofa, I work on the floral cover for a stool.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

Related Words

• brocade
• decoration
• lace
• quilting
• tapestry