Meaning & use
needle
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Meanings
nouncountable
A very thin, pointed piece of metal used for sewing or in medical injections.
Grammar: Can be used with an or the, and has a plural form needles.
Patterns
- a needle and thread
- use a needle
- inject with a needle
She threaded the needle and began to sew the button.
The nurse gave him an injection with a clean needle.
I need a needle to fix this tear in my shirt.
nouncountable
A thin pointer on a dial or gauge, such as on a compass or speedometer.
Grammar: Often used with on: the needle on the dial.
Patterns
- the needle on something
- the needle points to something
The needle on the fuel gauge was close to empty.
The compass needle pointed north.
He watched the needle on the speedometer rise as he accelerated.
nouncountablebiology
A thin, sharp leaf of a pine or fir tree.
Grammar: Usually plural when referring to the foliage: pine needles.
Patterns
- pine needles
- a carpet of needles
The ground was covered with pine needles.
The tree's needles turned brown in the dry weather.
She swept the needles off the path.
verbtransitiveinformal
To provoke or annoy someone persistently, often by teasing or criticizing.
Grammar: Takes an object: needle someone. Often used in the passive: he was needled by reporters.
Patterns
- needle someone about something
- needle someone into doing something
The kids needled him about his new haircut.
She needled her brother until he agreed to help.
Stop needling me; I'm trying to concentrate.
Word forms
| plural | needles |
|---|---|
| third person singular | needles |
| past tense | needled |
| past participle | needled |
| -ing form | needling |
Common combinations
- a needle and thread
- She always carries a needle and thread in her bag.
- a hypodermic needle
- The doctor used a hypodermic needle to draw blood.
- the needle on the dial
- The needle on the dial moved to the red zone.
- pine needles
- The forest floor was soft with pine needles.
- needle someone about something
- He needled his sister about her fear of spiders.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pin
- A pin is shorter and often has a rounded head; a needle is longer and used for sewing or injecting.
- pointer
- A pointer can be any indicator, while a needle is specifically the thin moving part on a dial.
- tease
- To tease is to make fun of someone playfully; to needle is to provoke or annoy persistently, often more irritating.
Word family
- needlework noun
- The activity or product of sewing or embroidery.
- needlepoint noun
- A type of embroidery done on canvas.
Commonly confused: needle or noodle?
needle vs noodle
Noodle is a strip or tube of pasta; needle is a thin pointed tool. They sound similar but are completely different.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'needle' correctly as a verb?
Choose one answer.
As a verb, 'needle' means to provoke or annoy someone, as in 'He needled his friend about being late.' The other options use 'needle' as if it meant 'sew' or 'point,' which is incorrect.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “needle”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.