Library / English Dictionary

NEEDLE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A sharp pointed implement (usually steel)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("needle" is a kind of...):

implement (instrumentation (a piece of equipment or tool) used to effect an end)

Meronyms (parts of "needle"):

eye (a small hole or loop (as in a needle))

point (sharp end)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "needle"):

crochet hook; crochet needle (a needle with a hook on the end; used in crocheting)

dry point (a steel needle for engraving without acid on a bare copper plate)

hypodermic needle (a hollow needle)

knitting needle (needle consisting of a slender rod with pointed ends; usually used in pairs)

packing needle (a large needle used to sew up canvas packages)

sewing needle (a needle used in sewing to pull thread through cloth)

Derivation:

needle (prick with a needle)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A slender pointer for indicating the reading on the scale of a measuring instrument

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("needle" is a kind of...):

pointer (an indicator as on a dial)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A stylus that formerly made sound by following a groove in a phonograph record

Synonyms:

needle; phonograph needle

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("needle" is a kind of...):

stylus (a sharp pointed device attached to the cartridge of a record player)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The leaf of a conifer

Synonyms:

acerate leaf; needle

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Hypernyms ("needle" is a kind of...):

simple leaf (a leaf that is not divided into parts)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Annoy or provoke, as by constant criticism

Example:

He needled her with his sarcastic remarks

Synonyms:

goad; needle

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "needle" is one way to...):

beset; chevvy; chevy; chivvy; chivy; harass; harry; hassle; molest; plague; provoke (annoy continually or chronically)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sense 2

Meaning:

Prick with a needle

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "needle" is one way to...):

prick; prickle (make a small hole into, as with a needle or a thorn)

Domain category:

sewing; stitchery (needlework on which you are working with needle and thread)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

needle (a sharp pointed implement (usually steel))

Credits

 Context examples: 

Removal of tissue from the kidney, for microscopic examination, using a needle.

(Needle Biopsy of Kidney, NCI Thesaurus)

When a thin needle is used, the procedure is called a fine-needle aspiration biopsy.

(Biopsy, NCI Dictionary)

These insects were as large as partridges: I took out their stings, found them an inch and a half long, and as sharp as needles.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

A stainless steel needle that is slightly thicker than a human hair.

(Acupuncture needle, NCI Dictionary)

You should have stuck the needle in your sleeve.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

This is most often done by inserting thin needles through the skin, to cause a change in the physical functions of the body.

(Acupuncture, NIH: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine)

The team led by University of Wyoming (UW) scientists took samples of live pine needles in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

(Study reveals surprising role of dust in mountain ecosystems, National Science Foundation)

The collision ripped the dwarf to shreds, leaving its stars moving on very radial orbits, like needles.

(The Gaia Sausage: the major collision that changed the Milky Way, University of Cambridge)

Ultrasound or a CT scan is used to guide the needle into the tumor.

(Alcohol ablation, NCI Dictionary)

"Why are those needles and pins sticking out of your head?" asked the Tin Woodman.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)