Link Centre Dictionary

needle

UK/ˈniː.dəl/ US/ˈnɪi̯.dəl] ~ [ˈnɪi̯.dl̩/ common informal
noun (4) verb (2)

noun

1.

as of a conifer

Synonyms
2.

a slender pointer for indicating the reading on the scale of a measuring instrument

3.
4.

verb

1.

goad or provoke,as by constant criticism

  • “He needled her with his sarcastic remarks”
Synonyms
2.

prick with a needle

Origin

From Middle English nedle, from Old English nǣdl, from Proto-West Germanic *nāþlu, from Proto-Germanic *nēþlō, from pre-Germanic *neh₁-tleh₂, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)neh₁- (“to spin, twist”).

Phrases

  • Adam's needle
  • budge the needle
  • Buffon's needle problem
  • butterfly needle
  • camel through the eye of a needle
  • cop the needle
  • devil's darning needle
  • devil's needle

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

Part of

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.