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

See Examples For:

needlepoint

The late Helaena and her cryptic needlepoint hardly helped clear things up.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

Diane Briones Williams’s textiles at Official Welcome inject international flair into Western art history by rendering traditional scenes—landscapes, still lifes and genre painings—in needlepoint, then adding elements that touch on the artist’s Filipino heritage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026

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

Mounted behind me was a large needlepoint map of Norvelt which spread across the entire wall.

From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• brocade
• decoration
• lace
• quilting
• tapestry

---