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
Pooja Mistry, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
But their comedy isn’t sharp enough to thread that tricky needle.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2026
Jay Paris, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
The pair began to exchange words early in the second half, cracking the type of crooked smiles that hardly concealed the competitiveness driving both players to chirp and ridicule and needle one another on both ends of the court.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for needle
Noun
Consistency, applied twice a day every single day over years and decades, is the only thing that genuinely moves the needle on skin health and pleasure is what makes consistency possible.
—Pooja Mistry, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
But their comedy isn’t sharp enough to thread that tricky needle.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2026
Verb
Johnson could have needled Woods about their windy Sunday stroll at Augusta in ’07, when Johnson trailed Stuart Appleby by two strokes, and Woods by one, heading into the last round in which Johnson’s 69 produced another slice of history.
—Jay Paris, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
The pair began to exchange words early in the second half, cracking the type of crooked smiles that hardly concealed the competitiveness driving both players to chirp and ridicule and needle one another on both ends of the court.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for needle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for needle
Noun
-
He was later found to be in possession of a kitchen knife, crack pipe and syringe needle, cops said.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
9 May 2026
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Testing of the syringe, which had fallen to the ground when Kazmierczak was tackled, showed a mixture of water and apple cider vinegar.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
7 May 2026
Noun
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This indicator fired off a clear bullish crossover on May 15th, adding another critical layer of confirmation to this setup.—
Nishant Pant,
CNBC,
19 May 2026
-
One of the key indicators of El Niño strength lies beneath the ocean surface, where warm water builds in the western Pacific near Australia.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
19 May 2026
Verb
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All the thespian’s chemistry felt less like castmates promoting a production and more like siblings teasing one another out of deep affection.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
18 May 2026
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Rumors are flying that Google will unveil or tease its Gemini 4 AI model — and that's a big deal because the introduction of Gemini 3 in November was a huge success and sent shares rallying .—
Zev Fima,Kevin Stankiewicz,
CNBC,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
The Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, has led the European opposition to the Iran war, but his tenure has been dogged by a string of scandals.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
13 May 2026
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But its relative youth and iconic mascot have not shielded the brand from many of the same issues dogging the company’s older brands, such as Maxwell House and Philadelphia.—
Amelia Lucas,
CNBC,
13 May 2026
Noun
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The index is back in the green after steep losses at the end of last week.—
Leonie Kidd,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
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Providers that can deliver this combination are positioned to become the pricing utility for tokenized markets in the same way index providers and rating agencies are instrumental in traditional finance.—
Mike Cahill,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
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This time around, a serial stalker hunts down men and women alike, taunting them with videos filmed of them and rhyming texts, the detectives trying to track potential victims and save them before they’re killed.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
-
Heck, every club’s supporters were taunting them this way.—
Daniel Taylor,
New York Times,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
The rage baiting won’t work anymore.—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
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That includes fishing guides and bait shop owners.—
John Lauritsen,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Direct Action Everywhere said the protest was part of an ongoing campaign urging Erewhon to stop selling products tied to factory farms where activists allege criminal animal abuse has occurred.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
20 May 2026
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Anyone who suffered property damage from bullets outside of the immediate area of the house was urged to call Anaheim police.—
Nathaniel Percy,
Oc Register,
20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Needle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/needle. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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