Meaning & use
dime
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Meanings
nouncountableAmerican
A small US coin worth ten cents, one tenth of a dollar.
Grammar: Countable: one dime, two dimes. Used mainly in the US.
Patterns
- a dime
- ten dimes
She put a dime in the parking meter.
I found a dime under the sofa cushions.
The candy used to cost a dime, but now it's a dollar.
nounsingularinformal
A very small amount of money, used in fixed expressions.
Grammar: In phrases like 'not a dime' or 'not one dime' to mean no money at all.
Patterns
- not a dime
- not one dime
He left without paying a dime.
I wouldn't give a dime for that old car.
She never spent a dime on herself.
Word forms
| plural | dimes |
|---|
Common combinations
- a dime a dozen
- Those cheap souvenirs are a dime a dozen in this tourist area.
- on a dime
- This little car can turn on a dime.
- drop a dime
- He dropped a dime on his partner to avoid going to jail.
- nickel and dime
- The airline will nickel and dime you for every extra bag.
- dime store
- She bought the toy at the old dime store downtown.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ten-cent piece
- A literal description of the coin, but less common in everyday speech than 'dime'.
Word family
- dime store noun
- A shop that sells inexpensive goods, originally everything for a dime.
Commonly confused: dime or nickel?
dime vs nickel
A nickel is a five-cent coin, half the value of a dime.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'dime' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A dime is worth ten cents, so two dimes make twenty cents. The other options give the wrong total for two ten-cent coins.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dime”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.