1
as in syringe
a slender hollow instrument by which material is put into or taken from the body through the skin
the nurse inserted the needle into his vein and collected some blood for testing
Synonyms & Similar Words
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1
as in to tease
to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults
we needled him mercilessly for thinking that he had any chance of being the prom date for the school's most popular girl
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to dog
to subject (someone) to constant scoldings and sharp reminders
quit needling me! I'll take out the trash in a minute!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of needle
Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 23 Mar. 2025
The release of its big Shattered Space expansion barely moved the needle, getting it to 22,000 concurrent briefly, less than 10% of the original launch.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 7 Feb. 2025
That’s also the case for Peter Doocy, the White House correspondent who relished needling President Biden and his aides, and will now be scrutinized for his handling of Mr. Trump.
—Michael M. Grynbaum, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for needle
Noun
Elsewhere on the farm, Joe finds Suzanne unconscious and barely breathing with a needle dangling from her forearm.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 23 Mar. 2025
The release of its big Shattered Space expansion barely moved the needle, getting it to 22,000 concurrent briefly, less than 10% of the original launch.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
Verb
Smirk flies under the banner Make Fun, Not War and delights to needle and tweak the NFL and the gravitas of its Big Game.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 7 Feb. 2025
That’s also the case for Peter Doocy, the White House correspondent who relished needling President Biden and his aides, and will now be scrutinized for his handling of Mr. Trump.
—Michael M. Grynbaum, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for needle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for needle
Noun
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Prosecutors said Valentin used a syringe to extract liquid painkillers (medical-grade fentanyl and midazolam) from patients’ vials for his personal use.—
Nicole Acosta,
People.com,
19 Mar. 2025
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Patients must use a syringe and needle to draw up the medicine from a single-dose vial and inject themselves.—
Annika Kim Constantino,
CNBC,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Those include the National Retail Federation’s more real-time indicator showing that retail sales went negative on a month-over-month basis in January and February.—
Michael Foster,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
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Chris Van Gorder, Scripps Health YES: No single indicator will tell all or be perfect, but the consumer sentiment indicator — like many others when considered together — is helpful in putting together a bigger overall picture.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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As OpenAI rolls out Sora to more users, expanding access to additional countries and teasing a potential ChatGPT integration, developers may be incentivized to address issues of bias further.—
Reece Rogers,
WIRED,
23 Mar. 2025
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This year, the star has teased new music, sharing occasional studio photos on Instagram.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Disney’s live-action ‘Snow White’ has faced a difficult road to its opening next week, with external controversies dogging it at every step.—
Ryan Faughnder,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2025
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Several of the weekly exchanges of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners have been dogged by last-minute accusations and near-cancellations.—
Matt Bradley,
NBC News,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Recent data highlights that divergence: An index measuring US economic policy uncertainty by month spiked in March to its highest level since the Covid-19 pandemic.—
John Towfighi,
CNN,
21 Mar. 2025
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Investors can expect a flurry of economic data in the week ahead, including insights on existing home sales, mortgage lending rates, GDP growth, and the personal consumption expenditures index on Friday.—
Sean Conlon,Sawdah Bhaimiya,
CNBC,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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When ejections take place, more yelling and taunting ensues.—
Arthur Daemmrich,
The Conversation,
14 Mar. 2025
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The big picture: The new policy marks yet another escalation in the friction between the U.S. and its northern neighbors, as President Trump pushes an on-again, off-again trade war with Canada and taunts the U.S. ally with annexation.—
Jessica Boehm,
Axios,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
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FedEx, Nike warn on outlooks The delivery companies weighed on the Dow Jones Transport Index which is often seen as a gauge of U.S. economic health.—
John Bacon,
USA TODAY,
21 Mar. 2025
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Transfer spending isn’t indicative of successes (wages are a much more reliable gauge), but spending as much as United have to be as bad as they are speaks to years of mismanagement.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
The Athletic,
18 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The danger of an unhinged old man who declares himself a king, and a hillbilly who baits a brave man defending his country while fighting a war.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
18 Mar. 2025
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Allies and critics alike say that Zelenskyy was baited into the argument.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA TODAY,
1 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Needle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/needle. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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