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
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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
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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!
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of needle
Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Dec. 2024
State minimum wage hikes each January have contributed to sharper inflation early in the year but haven’t moved the needle on overall price increases in the months that followed, said Ryan Sweet, chief U.S. economist of Oxford Economics.
—Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Dec. 2024
Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2024
Right out of the gate, the brothers are in a contentious mood, needling each other with elbows and bickering like little siblings.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for needle 
Noun
Experts examined the needles using mass spectrometry, which measures molecules’ mass-to-charge ratio, and an imaging technique called micro-CT scanning.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Dec. 2024
State minimum wage hikes each January have contributed to sharper inflation early in the year but haven’t moved the needle on overall price increases in the months that followed, said Ryan Sweet, chief U.S. economist of Oxford Economics.
—Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Dec. 2024
Verb
Who is Tony Hinchcliffe? Hinchcliffe, raised in Youngstown, Ohio, is a stand-up comedian who specializes in the roast style, in which comedians take the podium to needle a celebrity victim with personal and often tasteless jokes.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2024
Right out of the gate, the brothers are in a contentious mood, needling each other with elbows and bickering like little siblings.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for needle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for needle
Noun
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This involves extracting fluid with a needle and syringe, followed by injecting a chemical agent to scar the inner lining of the hydrocele sac.Josephine Hessert, Verywell Health, 1 Dec. 2024
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The Drano is in the syringe, but will it ever be injected?Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Additionally, leaders should look for traits such as initiative, adaptability and a willingness to learn, which are indicators of future success.Nilesh Parmar, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
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These double-layer metal jump clamps have indicator lights that provide real-time status updates and error alerts.Kyle J. Russell, Detroit Free Press, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
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While not part of Marvel's cinematic universe, subsequent sequels teased Venom's existence in Spider-Man's world.Andy Biggs, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024
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Luciani even teased the future proposal in October 2024.Emily Blackwood, People.com, 23 Dec. 2024
Verb
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High prices and quality problems, notably in the ever-more-costly Jeep line, dogged the company's brands.Joel Mathis, theweek, 17 Dec. 2024
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However, refusing to give up on his dream of becoming an avid writer of fiction, the young author brings talent, dogged determination and a marketing savvy mindset to break through the industry’s perennial clique.Sonya Rehman, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The resolute bullish commentators like to point out that the current bull phase is not particularly mature, with the average duration of a post-1945 cyclical bull market (defined as the span between 20% or greater index declines) exceeding five years.Michael Santoli, CNBC, 21 Dec. 2024
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What To Know The three major stock market indexes, which measure how stocks perform, were up by the closing bell on Friday.Gord Magill, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Don’t taunt your cousin who’s trying to avoid learning about the second half of Wicked.Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Dec. 2024
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Clark also addressed the supposedly taunting gesture Reese made to her during a game, which was cited as evidence of their beef.Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Pablo Picasso’s works, often a gauge for the market, saw a drop in 2024.Angelica Villa, ARTnews.com, 23 Dec. 2024
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To put that into context, the gauge peaked at 140% before the dotcom bubble burst in the early 2000s, according to data from Oppenheimer.Yun Li, CNBC, 22 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Harris really wanted more debates With limited time, Harris wanted to bait Trump into more debates after their first and only match-up on Sept. 10.Philip Elliott, TIME, 6 Dec. 2024
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The ads run by the networks employ tactics that Meta has banned, including the undisclosed use of deepfake audio and video of national political figures and promoting misleading claims about government programs to bait people into sharing personal information.Craig Silverman, ProPublica, 31 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Needle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/needle. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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