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!
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of needle
Charlotte Sweeney Obe, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
Silver forks that fused into a thick, lumpy utensil, its prongs fanning out like a porcupine’s needles.
—Heather Knight, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2025
Liam Reilly, CNN, 28 Oct. 2024
The Harris campaign plans to launch a new ad during the game that needles Trump on the prospect of a second presidential debate, The Associated Press reported.
—Paulina Dedaj, Fox News, 28 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for needle 
Noun
Yet, while organizational leaders may sincerely pursue tangible improvements across the DEI spectrum, these efforts often turn up short, regrettably failing to move the needle.
—Charlotte Sweeney Obe, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
Silver forks that fused into a thick, lumpy utensil, its prongs fanning out like a porcupine’s needles.
—Heather Knight, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2025
Verb
The decision means audiences can expect Stewart to continue needling lawmakers as well as a future President Kamala Harris or Donald Trump with his stinging commentary and satire well into their first year in office.
—Liam Reilly, CNN, 28 Oct. 2024
The Harris campaign plans to launch a new ad during the game that needles Trump on the prospect of a second presidential debate, The Associated Press reported.
—Paulina Dedaj, Fox News, 28 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for needle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for needle
Noun
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According to Peter’s report, FWC investigators also found a Costa sunglasses case with drug paraphernalia in it, including needles, a syringe, a spook, cotton balls and a synthetic opioid pill prescribed to people trying to kick opiate addiction.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
15 Jan. 2025
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Harm reduction reduces the risks associated with drug use, including overdose and the spread of infectious diseases, by providing free syringe service programs, overdose prevention sites, fentanyl tests, naloxone kits and training and sterile injection or smoking equipment.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA TODAY,
13 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The watches feature three sub-dials with a permanent seconds indicator at 12 o'clock, 1/10th second chronograph counter and hour chronograph counter at 6 o'clock, and minute chronograph counter at 9 o'clock.—
Bhanu Chopra,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
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The circular loading indicator kept spinning, which felt a little overwhelming.—
Robert Anderson,
PCMAG,
22 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Activision teases five new multiplayer maps being added to Black Ops 6 in the upcoming season, with two of them coming a few weeks after the update.—
Raul A. Reyes,
Newsweek,
23 Jan. 2025
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Though Evans comforted Bunny in person, Hot Ones made sure to tease him a little bit in post-production.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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All the while, the heroic couple was dogged by not just a team of lovebird assassins, but an inscrutable bunch of White House bigwigs.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
21 Jan. 2025
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However, disagreement has dogged the name for decades.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
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According to the Global Soft Power Index by Brand Finance, the UK ranks in the top three across all major soft power indices.—
George Nelson,
ARTnews.com,
20 Jan. 2025
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Run-of-the-mill investors in stock index funds may roll their eyes at even the higher end of those figures after the S&P 500 gained 23%, following a 24% increase in 2023 that also beat most hedge funds.—
Hank Tucker,
Forbes,
19 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Trump hosted liberal Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau to discuss tariffs and has been taunting him since, suggesting Canada should be a U.S. state.—
Zac Anderson,
USA TODAY,
19 Jan. 2025
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The others will taunt me for trying to excel at my work in the laundry.—
Margaret Lyons,
EW.com,
17 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The gauge accounts for different valuation and sentiment metrics and is scored on a zero-to-100 scale, the firm said.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
22 Jan. 2025
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The motivation meter likely was already pegged in the red for those three, but the hype video might’ve broken the gauge.—
Tim Graham,
The Athletic,
20 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The other hunter was later cited for the baiting violation.—
Tom Olsen,
Twin Cities,
17 Jan. 2025
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As the sun and Mars clash, you can be baited into competing over the wrong prize.—
USA TODAY,
USA TODAY,
15 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near needle
Cite this Entry
“Needle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/needle. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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