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
Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
Only the possibility of a direct confrontation between Israel and Iran moved the needle.
—Samuel Burke, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2024
Sara Dorn, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024
Contrasting with Joe Biden Harris gained the upper hand in the debate by constantly needling Trump on issues large and small, delivering somber commentary on his threat to democracy alongside mocking remarks about his obsession with Hannibal Lecter and windmills.
—Zac Anderson, USA TODAY, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for needle 
Noun
Bender, from the Times, asked him whether denouncing Democrats for inflammatory rhetoric while falsely accusing Haitian migrants of eating cats and dogs wasn’t a very narrow needle to thread.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
Only the possibility of a direct confrontation between Israel and Iran moved the needle.
—Samuel Burke, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2024
Verb
Harris appeared well-prepared for the debate, did not suffer any verbal gaffes, and repeatedly needled Trump, prompting him to lose his temper and veer off-topic in multiple instances.
—Sara Dorn, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024
Contrasting with Joe Biden Harris gained the upper hand in the debate by constantly needling Trump on issues large and small, delivering somber commentary on his threat to democracy alongside mocking remarks about his obsession with Hannibal Lecter and windmills.
—Zac Anderson, USA TODAY, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for needle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for needle
Noun
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Arlo frustratingly runs away, while Maggie follows James into the barn with the ketamine syringe.Nick Caruso, TVLine, 31 Oct. 2024
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The panic of an extreme allergic reaction, or anaphylaxis, is the reality for millions of kids and adults across the U.S. Reactions are often triggered by food, medication or insect stings and can only be quelled by injecting epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, with a syringe or EpiPen.Natallie Rocha, The Mercury News, 11 Oct. 2024
Noun
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But throughout 2024, all eyes remained trained on the U.S. election as the most important indicator of global democracy’s future.Larry Diamond, Foreign Affairs, 8 Nov. 2024
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The news came just days after S&P Dow Jones Indices announced that Nvidia is replacing rival chipmaker Intel in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, a 30-member index that’s often viewed as a key indicator of the U.S. stock market.Ashton Jackson, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
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The maker’s first prototype, dubbed the Him-E, was teased in 2023.New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Nov. 2024
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The news was teased at the end of the Chapter 2 Remix trailer, which also featured appearances from Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Ice Spice. 999, a number that was significant to Juice WRLD, shows up on an empty chair.Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2024
Verb
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The practical limitations of CAR-T have dogged the cancer field for a long time now, and researchers have already come up with ideas to get around it.Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2024
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Allegations of conflicts have dogged Cyberstarts for years.Iain Martin, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Major stock indexes, including the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500, and the Nasdaq, all hit record highs in the days following Trump’s election win.Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 14 Nov. 2024
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Its average index score for 2024 is 79.0, putting it among the 125 most difficult markets.Jasmine Cui, NBC News, 10 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Does Oz think the mother bird knew what her baby bird did?, Sofia taunts.Andy Andersen, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2024
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Oz taunts Sal, saying Sofia has him on a tight leash, only for Sal to taunt Oz right back, reminding him that Sofia has taken Oz’s mother.Joe Otterson, Variety, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index, slowed to an annual rate of 2.1% in September, the Bureau of Economic Analysis said late last month.Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 13 Nov. 2024
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With high gauge coils in the bed’s center, our back sleepers felt well-supported.Macy Alcido, Architectural Digest, 31 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Awards Emmys 2024: ‘Baby Reindeer’ has the numbers — and, soon, the Emmys Aug. 14, 2024 Krieger speculated that the true-story element might have baited social media sleuths into hunting for the real Martha.Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2024
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We are constantly baited by scammers—by text, by email, by phone.Alana Semuels, TIME, 18 Sep. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Needle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/needle. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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