Needles

[ need-lz ]

/ ˈnid lz /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR Needles ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a town in SE California: on Colorado River at Arizona line.

Definition for needles (2 of 2)

needle

[ need-l ]

/ ˈnid l /

noun

a small, slender, rodlike instrument, usually of polished steel, with a sharp point at one end and an eye or hole for thread at the other, for passing thread through cloth to make stitches in sewing.

any of various similar, usually considerably larger, implements for making stitches, as one for use in knitting or one hooked at the end for use in crocheting.

Medicine/Medical.

a slender, pointed, steel instrument used in sewing or piercing tissues, as in suturing.
hypodermic needle.

Informal. an injection of a drug or medicine; shot.

any of various objects resembling or suggesting a needle.

the tapered stylus at the end of a phonographic tonearm, used to transmit vibrations from a record groove to a transducer for conversion to audible signals.

Electricity. magnetic needle.

a pointed instrument, or stylus, used in engraving, etching, or the like.

Botany. a needle-shaped leaf, as of a conifer: a pine needle.

Zoology. a slender sharp spicule.

Chemistry, Mineralogy. a needlelike crystal.

a sharp-pointed mass or pinnacle of rock.

an obelisk or a tapering, four-sided shaft of stone: Cleopatra's Needle.

Also called needle beam. Building Trades. a short beam passed through a wall as a temporary support.

verb (used with object), nee·dled, nee·dling.

to sew or pierce with or as if with a needle: to needle a patch on a sleeve.

Informal.

to prod or goad (someone) to a specified action: We needled her into going with us.
to tease: We needled him about his big ears.

Slang. to add alcohol or ether to (a beverage): to needle beer.

verb (used without object), nee·dled, nee·dling.

to form needles in crystallization.

to work with a needle.

Origin of needle

before 900; 1880–85 for def 16; Middle English nedle, Old English nǣdl, cognate with German Nadel; akin to Latin nēre to spin

OTHER WORDS FROM needle

nee·dle·like, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for needles

There were pictures of me crying, pictures of my hair falling out, pictures of me injecting myself with needles.

Blogger Shares and Shames Cancer in ‘Lily’ |Amy Grantham |December 9, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Needles to say, no other high-income country behaves like this with deadly weapons.

9-Year Old With an Uzi? America Is Tougher on Toys Than Guns |Cliff Schecter |August 28, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The image of this as a “luxury” service fades a bit when the needles appear.

The I.V. Doc Comes to Your House, Fights Hangovers, and Wins |Abby Haglage |July 20, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
After that, who knows how many innocent straws of hay will start to look like needles under the gaze of unseen algorithms.

The NSA Can ‘Collect-it-All,’ But What Will It Do With Our Data Next? |Joshua Kopstein |May 16, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

I'm kind of afraid of needles, but if there were a personal intravenous caffeine drip, I would seriously consider it.

Mommy’s Little Secret? Coffee And Booze. |Sally Kohn |May 11, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The substance prepared by the above methods crystallizes from dilute alcohol in needles or prisms of dark brown color.

Synthesis of 2-methyl-4-selenoquinazolone, 2-phenylbenzoselenazole, and its derivatives |Y-Gwan Chen
Highly mechanized activity tends as Emerson said to turn men into spiders and needles.

Human Nature and Conduct |John Dewey
The Acetate crystallises in tufts of needles; as stated, it is not officinal in any of the European pharmacopœias.

Poisons: Their Effects and Detection |Alexander Wynter Blyth
My mother and my aunt set to work with shears and needles and built me a suit of clothes out of the brown overcoat.

The Iron Puddler |James J. Davis
Judging from his name, "twists and needles," he or his father was probably a pedlar (Layard's edition of "Kugler," i. 334).

A Popular Handbook to the National Gallery, Volume I, Foreign Schools |Various

British Dictionary definitions for needles

needle

/ (ˈniːdəl) /

noun

a pointed slender piece of metal, usually steel, with a hole or eye in it through which thread is passed for sewing

a somewhat larger rod with a point at one or each end, used in knitting

a similar instrument with a hook at one end for crocheting

another name for stylus (def. 3)
a small thin pointed device, esp one made of stainless steel, used to transmit the vibrations from a gramophone record to the pick-up

med

the long hollow pointed part of a hypodermic syringe, which is inserted into the body
an informal name for hypodermic syringe

surgery a pointed steel instrument, often curved, for suturing, puncturing, or ligating

a long narrow stiff leaf, esp of a conifer, in which water loss is greatly reduced pine needles

any slender sharp spine, such as the spine of a sea urchin

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

short for magnetic needle

a crystal resembling a needle in shape

a sharp pointed metal instrument used in engraving and etching

anything long and pointed, such as an obelisk a needle of light

a short horizontal beam passed through a wall and supported on vertical posts to take the load of the upper part of the wall

informal

anger or intense rivalry, esp in a sporting encounter
(as modifier)a needle match

get the needle or have the needle British informal to feel dislike, distaste, nervousness, or annoyance (for) she got the needle after he had refused her invitation

verb

(tr) informal to goad or provoke, as by constant criticism

(tr) to sew, embroider, or prick (fabric) with a needle

(tr) US to increase the alcoholic strength of (beer or other beverages)

(intr) (of a substance) to form needle-shaped crystals

Word Origin for needle

Old English nǣdl; related to Gothic nēthla, German Nadel

Medical definitions for needles

needle

[ nēd′l ]

n.

A slender, usually sharp-pointed instrument used for puncturing tissues, suturing, or passing a ligature around an artery.

A hollow, slender, sharp-pointed instrument used for injection or aspiration.

v.

To separate tissues by means of one or two needles in the dissection of small parts.

Scientific definitions for needles

needle

[ nēd′l ]

A narrow, stiff leaf, as of firs, pines, and other conifers. The reduced surface area of needles minimizes water loss and allows needle-bearing plants to live in dry climates. See more at leaf.

See hypodermic needle.

Idioms and Phrases with needles

needle

In addition to the idiom beginning with needle

needle in a haystack
needless to say

also see:

on pins and needles

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

Needles

noun

Definition for needles (2 of 2)

noun

verb (used with object), nee·dled, nee·dling.

verb (used without object), nee·dled, nee·dling.

Origin of needle

OTHER WORDS FROM needle

Example sentences from the Web for needles

British Dictionary definitions for needles

noun

verb

Word Origin for needle

Medical definitions for needles

n.

v.

Scientific definitions for needles

Idioms and Phrases with needles

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

Needles

noun

Definition for needles (2 of 2)

noun

verb (used with object), nee·dled, nee·dling.

verb (used without object), nee·dled, nee·dling.

Origin of needle

OTHER WORDS FROM needle

Words related to needles

Example sentences from the Web for needles

British Dictionary definitions for needles

noun

verb

Word Origin for needle

Medical definitions for needles

n.

v.

Scientific definitions for needles

Idioms and Phrases with needles