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
Lauren Costantino
updated July 20, Miami Herald, 20 July 2025
At this time, the interviews reveal little evidence that other policy developments, including the recent passage of the tax and spending bill, moved the needle much on consumer sentiment.
—Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 18 July 2025
Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 6 June 2025
Not all of her tips and tricks to staying fabulous involve undergoing a knife or needle though.
—Michelle Lee, People.com, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for needle
Noun
Faith leaders ‘can move the needle’ One advocacy group, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, took steps last week to reverse the decision in the lawsuit by filing a motion to intervene.
—Lauren Costantino
updated July 20, Miami Herald, 20 July 2025
At this time, the interviews reveal little evidence that other policy developments, including the recent passage of the tax and spending bill, moved the needle much on consumer sentiment.
—Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 18 July 2025
Verb
Notably, Musk swept up Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson in addition to Trump, needling them over their past debt concerns.
—Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 6 June 2025
Not all of her tips and tricks to staying fabulous involve undergoing a knife or needle though.
—Michelle Lee, People.com, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for needle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for needle
Noun
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It is not added to modern childhood vaccines, and people who get a flu vaccine can avoid it by requesting a vaccine supplied in a single-dose vial or syringe.—
Terri Levien,
The Conversation,
25 June 2025
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Knocking and getting no reply, my 84-year-old grandmother kicked open the door, found my sister unresponsive with a syringe in her hand and called 911.—
Frances Dodds Samantha Desz Krish Seenivasan Joel Thibodeau,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
Noun
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Leaders and employees align on specific, objective metrics relevant to their business units, such as sales targets or key performance indicators.—
Melody Brue,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
-
In fact, weeds can be an indicator of the quality of your soil’s health, poor drainage, for example.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
21 July 2025
Verb
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Interestingly, Google is also teasing new offers for the Pixel 10.—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
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The ending might seem pleasingly final, but watch for a predictable and quite unnecessary post-credits sting that sets up the Fantastic Four’s return with a cliffhanger and teases the return of a very familiar character.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
22 July 2025
Verb
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This particular issue has dogged Samsung’s own foldable phone designs, dating back to its first big swing at a foldable smartphone, the $2,000 Galaxy Fold, released in 2019.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
16 July 2025
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The year-long FOI battle is connected to a convoluted and bitter political rift that has dogged Bloomfield for the past two years under Mayor Danielle Wong’s administration.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
16 July 2025
Noun
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However, the core index, which strips out food and energy due to their higher levels of volatility, came in slightly below expectations at 2.9% versus 3.0% expected.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
19 July 2025
-
Charlotte weekend forecast Temperatures will reach up to about 95 degrees in Charlotte Saturday, with the heat index reaching into triple digits, the NWS forecast says.—
Mary Ramsey,
Charlotte Observer,
19 July 2025
Verb
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Sanchez, who has strongly opposed immigration enforcement, taunted ICE agents on Sunday after a farmworker died from injuries sustained from a fall during an immigration enforcement raid on a California cannabis farm.—
Stepheny Price , Bill Melugin,
FOXNews.com,
15 July 2025
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The new film follows five friends who inadvertently cause a deadly car accident and cover it up, when a year later a stalker sends them taunting messages about their crime.—
Kirsten Chuba,
HollywoodReporter,
15 July 2025
Noun
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On the evening of July 3rd, as the sun went down over Kerrville, Texas, a small city of some twenty-five thousand people and the seat of Kerr County, the water in the Guadalupe River was just four inches deep, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s stream gauge there.—
John Seabrook,
New Yorker,
21 July 2025
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According to Zillow's Home Value Index – a monthly gauge of house prices and housing market trends – national home prices rose 0.2 percent year-over-year in June, a marked deceleration from the 3.2 percent increase seen in the previous 12 months.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 July 2025
Verb
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Sam shows up with a selection of wines and laughs off both Spock’s attempt to tell him the truth and his attempt to bait him into punching him.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
17 July 2025
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Given the city’s prominence as the hub of national media, the Tonys are not simply a local event but one of the means by which CBS appropriates entertainment awards shows (primarily music-industry ceremonies) as a way of baiting viewers and imposing left-liberal groupthink on the public.—
Armond White,
National Review,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Needle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/needle. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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