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needle

Syllabification: (nee·dle)
Pronunciation: /ˈnēdl/
Translate needle | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of needle

noun

  • 1a very fine slender piece of metal with a point at one end and a hole or eye for thread at the other, used in sewing.
  • 2something resembling a sewing needle in use, shape, or appearance, especially:
  • an instrument used in crafts such as crochet, knitting, and lacemaking.
  • the pointed hollow end of a hypodermic syringe.
  • a very fine metal spike used in acupuncture.
  • a thin pointer on a dial, compass, or other instrument.
  • an etching tool.
  • the sharp, stiff, slender leaf of a fir or pine tree.
  • a pointed rock or peak.
  • a stylus used to play phonograph records.
  • an obelisk:Cleopatra’s Needle
  • a steel pin that explodes the cartridge of a breech-loading gun.
  • Building a beam used as a temporary support during underpinning.

verb

[with object]
  • 1prick or pierce (something) with or as if with a needle:dust needled his eyes
  • 2 informal provoke or annoy (someone), especially by continual criticism or questioning:I just said that to Charlie to needle him

Phrases

the eye of a needle

a tiny aperture or opening through which it would seem impossible to pass (especially with reference to Matt. 19:24).

give someone the needle

informal provoke or annoy someone:Lady gives him the needle because she knows it isn’t true

a needle in a haystack

something that is almost impossible to find because it is hidden among so many other things.

Origin:

Old English nǣdl, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch naald and German Nadel, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin nere 'to spin' and Greek nēma 'thread'

needle in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of needle in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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