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needle
[ need-l ]
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.
- 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)
- 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)
- to form needles in crystallization.
- to work with a needle.
needle
/ ˈԾːə /
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
- 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 reduced
pine 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 obelisk
a 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 informal.to feel dislike, distaste, nervousness, or annoyance (for)
she got the needle after he had refused her invitation
verb
- informal.tr to goad or provoke, as by constant criticism
- tr to sew, embroider, or prick (fabric) with a needle
- tr to increase the alcoholic strength of (beer or other beverages)
- intr (of a substance) to form needle-shaped crystals
needle
- 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
Other Word Forms
- Աd· adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of needle1
Word History and Origins
Origin of needle1
Idioms and Phrases
- 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 ).
More idioms and phrases containing needle
In addition to the idiom beginning with needle , also see on pins and needles .Example Sentences
Individual hair follicles were punched in by artists using a tiny needle.
“Today, California affirmed existing and continued compliance with federal laws while we stay the course to move the needle for all students,” Thurmond said.
Since then, Caruso has used social media to call for an independent investigation into the fire and to continue to needle Bass.
But there was plenty of needle when a wide-eyed Serrano removed the headguard and stared into a smirking Taylor's eyes, before they both departed the stage without a handshake or even a nod of acknowledgement.
She was confronted with a fresh list of roughly 500 names, and, in her words, a new search for "a needle in a haystack".
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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