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
Relevance
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
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of needle
Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Nov. 2024
The mulcher really did a nice job of mulching down leaves, sticks, and pine needles to smaller sizes.
—Sandi Schwartz, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Nov. 2024
Mabinty Quarshie, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 11 Sep. 2024
Her constant baiting throughout the night—calling Trump a disgrace and needling him about the size of his rallies—successfully lured Trump into long tangents that are legible only to those steeped in an extended universe of right-wing viral grievance.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for needle 
Noun
There’s a scene where my character is filming a scene in hospital and she’s being stabbed with a needle, that really triggered me.
—Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Nov. 2024
The mulcher really did a nice job of mulching down leaves, sticks, and pine needles to smaller sizes.
—Sandi Schwartz, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Nov. 2024
Verb
Harris also needled Trump over the size of his rallies during the immigration discussion.
—Mabinty Quarshie, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 11 Sep. 2024
Her constant baiting throughout the night—calling Trump a disgrace and needling him about the size of his rallies—successfully lured Trump into long tangents that are legible only to those steeped in an extended universe of right-wing viral grievance.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for needle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for needle
Noun
-
Sharps Technology continues to focus on securing financing and increasing production capacity to support future sales and commercialization of its syringe products.Quartz Bot, Quartz, 14 Nov. 2024
-
Because the wording on both was often obscured by hands or other obstacles, the algorithm instead learned to recognize the telltale size and shape of the specific vials and syringe types, along with the color of the vial caps and the print sizes of the syringe labels.New Atlas, New Atlas, 22 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
Its easy-to-read display features various timer settings, an air quality indicator, and a filter replacement indicator.Laura Lu, MS, Health, 29 Nov. 2024
-
The types of clouds gathering on the horizon are a good indicator of what kind of weather is ahead.Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 28 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
The start of the parade teased performances and appearances from Jennifer Hudson, Cynthia Erivo and T-Pain.Alexis Simmerman, Austin American-Statesman, 29 Nov. 2024
-
Target first teased the book launch in an Instagram post on Oct. 15.Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 29 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
As a result of this, and allegations of Russian interference, Trump was dogged by questions about the legitimacy of his victory.Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2024
-
The results of both the October ballots and Sunday’s runoff were indeed dogged by allegations of a major vote-buying scheme, Russian interference, and voter intimidation — which exposed Moldova’s judiciary as unable to adequately protect the democratic process.Stephen McGrath and Nicolae Dumitrache, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
The geomagnetic activity has a Kp index of 5, meaning the northern lights will also be brighter, according to NOAA.Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 27 Nov. 2024
-
Separately, Palantir was also recently included in the S&P 500 index and this could also be boosting visibility for the stock while broadening its appeal to institutional investors.Trefis Team, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
Williams was flagged 15 yards for taunting, and the penalty proved costly as kicker Jake Bates missed the 45-year-field goal that would have put the Lions up 26-13 at the time.Ryan Canfield, Fox News, 29 Nov. 2024
-
Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield taunted the hearty souls that attended Sunday’s game by mocking DeVito’s touchdown celebration after scrambling for a score to give Tampa a 23-0 lead in the second quarter.Dan Duggan, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
East Broad Top Railroad Rockhill Furnace, Pennsylvania Constructed in 1872, East Broad Top Railroad is America’s oldest operating narrow gauge railroad, situated in what was once the heart of Pennsylvania's coal country.Allison Tibaldi, USA TODAY, 30 Nov. 2024
-
The result of this constructive partnership is a one-of-a-kind gauge combination (10.5-47) in addition to Reinforced Plain Strings (RPS) utilized for extra tuning stability and an unmatched resiliency.Ron Hart, SPIN, 29 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
The Artifice Girl Release Date: 2022 Director and Writer: Franklin Ritch Starring: Tatum Matthews, David Girard, and Sinda Nichols Summary: A team of special agents discovers a revolutionary AI program used to bait and catch online predators.Bruce Weinstein, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024
-
Emiliano was like a patient older brother, baiting a kid-sized reel for the stocked pond and showing our junior angler how to reel in (and toss back) his slippery catch.Carley Thornell, USA TODAY, 20 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near needle
Cite this Entry
“Needle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/needle. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share