needle

[ need-l ]

noun

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Medicine/Medical.
   1. a slender, pointed, steel instrument used in sewing or piercing tissues, as in suturing.
   2. hypodermic needle.
4. Informal. an injection of a drug or medicine; shot.
5. any of various objects resembling or suggesting a needle.
6. 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.
7. Electricity. magnetic needle.
8. a pointed instrument, or stylus, used in engraving, etching, or the like.
9. Botany. a needle-shaped leaf, as of a conifer:

   a pine needle.

10. Zoology. a slender sharp spicule.
11. Chemistry, Mineralogy. a needlelike crystal.
12. a sharp-pointed mass or pinnacle of rock.
13. an obelisk or a tapering, four-sided shaft of stone:

    Cleopatra's Needle.

14. Also called needle beam. Building Trades. a short beam passed through a wall as a temporary support.

verb (used with object)

, nee·dled, nee·dling.

1. to sew or pierce with or as if with a needle:

   to needle a patch on a sleeve.

2. Informal.
   1. to prod or goad (someone) to a specified action:

      We needled her into going with us.

   2. to tease:

      We needled him about his big ears.

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

   to needle beer.

verb (used without object)

, nee·dled, nee·dling.

1. to form needles in crystallization.
2. to work with a needle.

needle

/ ˈniːdəl /

noun

1. a pointed slender piece of metal, usually steel, with a hole or eye in it through which thread is passed for sewing
2. a somewhat larger rod with a point at one or each end, used in knitting
3. a similar instrument with a hook at one end for crocheting
4. 1. another name for stylus
   2. a small thin pointed device, esp one made of stainless steel, used to transmit the vibrations from a gramophone record to the pick-up
5. med
   1. the long hollow pointed part of a hypodermic syringe, which is inserted into the body
   2. an informal name for hypodermic syringe
6. surgery a pointed steel instrument, often curved, for suturing, puncturing, or ligating
7. a long narrow stiff leaf, esp of a conifer, in which water loss is greatly reduced

   pine needles

8. any slender sharp spine, such as the spine of a sea urchin
9. any slender pointer for indicating the reading on the scale of a measuring instrument
10. short for magnetic needle
11. a crystal resembling a needle in shape
12. a sharp pointed metal instrument used in engraving and etching
13. anything long and pointed, such as an obelisk

    a needle of light

14. a short horizontal beam passed through a wall and supported on vertical posts to take the load of the upper part of the wall
15. informal.
    1. anger or intense rivalry, esp in a sporting encounter
    2. ( as modifier )

       a needle match

16. 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

1. informal.
   tr to goad or provoke, as by constant criticism
2. tr to sew, embroider, or prick (fabric) with a needle
3. tr to increase the alcoholic strength of (beer or other beverages)
4. intr (of a substance) to form needle-shaped crystals

needle

/ nēd′l /

1. 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.
2. See more at leaf
3. See hypodermic needle

Other Words From

• needle·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of needle¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of needle¹

Old English nǣdl; related to Gothic nēthla, German Nadel

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. on the needle, Slang. taking drugs by injection, especially habitually.
2. 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

“Most California voters aren’t ideological. They don’t want rhetoric. They want governments to deliver outcomes. Move the needle.”

From Los Angeles Times

"My biggest drive with AI is its application, finding healthy ways to apply it. With each project it was important to find something that it did that moved the needle forward," he says.

From BBC

“All those tiny miniatures that fit on the head of a needle — I think it’s so beautiful,” he says in a Zoom call from his place in Malibu.

From Los Angeles Times

Anthony Munoz, the future Hall of Fame offensive tackle, remembers his coach sticking up for him at training table in the late 1970s when teammates playfully needled him about his long hair.

From Los Angeles Times

“I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is a needle in a haystack,’” she remembers.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• badger
• bait
• bedevil
• goad
• hector
• irk
• irritate
• nag
• pester
• prod
• taunt
• tweak