/ ˈniːdl; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
[ C ]
FOR SEWING
1.
a small thin piece of steel that you use for sewing, with a point at one end and a hole for the thread at the other :
a needle and thread
the eye (= hole) of a needle
—picture at knitting
—see also pins and needles
FOR KNITTING
2.
a long thin piece of plastic or metal with a point at one end that you use for knitting. You usually use two together :
knitting needles
FOR DRUGS
3.
a very thin, pointed piece of steel used on the end of a syringe for putting a drug into sb's body, or for taking blood out of it :
a hypodermic needle
—picture at injection
ON INSTRUMENT
4.
a thin piece of metal on a scientific instrument that moves to point to the correct measurement or direction :
The compass needle was pointing north.
ON PINE TREE
5.
[ usually pl. ] the thin, hard, pointed leaf of a pine tree
—picture at tree
ON RECORD PLAYER
6.
the very small pointed piece of metal that touches a record that is being played in order to produce the sound
SYN stylus
•
IDIOMS
- a needle in a haystack
■ verb
[ vn ] ( informal ) to deliberately annoy sb, especially by criticizing them continuously
SYN antagonize :
Don't let her needle you.
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English nǣdl , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch naald and German Nadel , from an Indo-European root shared by Latin nere to spin and Greek nēma thread.