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needle

needle

85 2.8
A long thin pointed part like a pine leaf or a record stylus
  • noun
  • /ˈniːdəl/
translation icon : aguja
  • I played that album until the needle broke on my record player.
  • pine needles
  • compass needle
  • leaves and needles

And that's because these are needles, but they're also leaves.

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Examples

  • I made some pine needles tea with freshly gathered foliage from the tree.

  • I made some pine needle tea.

  • But these have the deep green needles that are so pretty.

  • When you look up through the leaves or needles, can you still see the sky?

    Academic text (2008)
  • The phonograph had stopped playing, and the needle scraped at the end of the record.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Conjuring a harpoon, the word 'needle' also refers to the directional pointer on a compass.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The pine tree's needles are long and slender, providing a unique texture to the landscape.

  • When examining the gas gauge, I noticed the needle was pointing to 'Full'.

Synonyms

pointer
vsneedle
33 3.7

A thin needle that shows position or direction on a dial

is the general pointed part that can serve as an indicator in tools
knitting needle
vsneedle
7 2.0

A thin pointed stick used to make cloth by looping yarn

is the general pointed form that also appears as tools or parts
sewing needle
vsneedle
2 1.6

A thin metal tool with a point and a hole for thread used to push thread through cloth

is the general long slender pointed object used in many other tasks
stylus
vsneedle
  • Specialized
1 7.1

A small pointed needle that reads music from a vinyl record

is the broader long slender form applying across different uses
phonograph needle
vsneedle
  • Archaic
1 8.4

A small pointed piece that touches a record's groove to make sound

is the general long slender pointed object used in many contexts
acerate leaf
vsneedle
  • Specialized
9.8

A thin leaf shaped like a needle on pine trees

is the same long slender pointed thing when part of a plant
3.0

A long needle with a large eye that you use to thread thick thread for decorative sewing

is the general long slender object not limited to decorative stitching

Idioms

15 6.1

A thing very hard to find among many similar things

8 6.2

To make a clear change in results or numbers

To pass something carefully through a very small gap or to do a very precise and difficult action

A very hard task that is almost impossible

9.4

Reach and stay at the highest level shown on a meter

To try to find something that is hidden among many things

Compounds

hypodermic needle
  • Specialized
7 3.9

A thin hollow tube with a sharp point that doctors use to give medicine or take blood through the skin

A thin pointed stick used to make cloth by looping yarn

4 9.3

A plant like a spiky bush with long stiff leaves that have thin threadlike edges

2 3.8

A tall tower in Seattle that people visit to see the city

A thin metal tool with a point and a hole for thread used to push thread through cloth

needle biopsy
  • Specialized
1 3.5

A medical procedure that uses a hollow needle to take a small piece of body tissue for testing

needle dick
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A rude insult for a man who has very small private parts

A thin tool with a hooked end that pulls yarn through loops

1 8.4

A small pointed piece that touches a record's groove to make sound

darning needle
  • Archaic
9.6

A slender insect with bright shiny wings that eats mosquitoes and small insects

A long needle with a large eye for sewing with thick thread

A climbing plant with many small creamy white flowers that grows over other plants

A slender flying insect with long body and clear wings often found near water

A long needle with a large eye that you use to thread thick thread for decorative sewing

A plant that grows in dry places with long stiff leaves that have thin threads along the edges

9.9

A person very skilled at making clothes or quilts

A thin piece of metal with a magnet that points north in a compass

ice needle
  • Specialized
6.7

A thin pointed piece of ice that grows from cold surfaces

needle bar
  • Specialized
6.9

A metal rod in a sewing machine that holds and moves the needle up and down

needle bearing
  • Specialized
6.2

A small part with thin metal rollers that helps a shaft turn smoothly

8.4

A small palm tree with long, stiff leaves that look like needles

A water plant with thin leaves that adds oxygen to aquarium water

A water plant with thin leaves used in aquariums to add oxygen

needle wood
  • Australian
9.9

A large bush with sharp pointed leaves and creamy white flowers

needle-bush
  • Australian
9.9

A shrub from eastern Australia with leaves like needles and white flowers

needle blight
  • Specialized
8.9

A disease that makes the needles of pine or spruce trees fall early

needle bush
  • Australian
9.7

A shrub with sharp needle-shaped leaves and white flowers from eastern Australia

needle cast
  • Specialized
7.9

A disease of pine and spruce trees that makes their needles turn brown and fall early

needle drop
  • Jargon
7.9

A moment when a song starts in a film or show that makes the scene more powerful

9.9

A prickly bush with bright yellow flowers that grows on moors

needle-wood
  • Australian
9.9

A large bush with sharp pointed leaves and creamy white flowers from central and eastern Australia

packing needle
  • Specialized
7.0

A large strong needle that sews thick materials like canvas

A strong, often curved sewing tool for thick furniture fabric

How Thin

needle
85 2.8
pin
153 1.0
stylus
  • Specialized
1 7.1
to spike
  • Specialized
1 6.3
stem
126 1.6

Surface Forms

needle singular
needles plural

Etymology

The word needle comes from the old English nædl, meaning a thin sharp point, so people used the same name for any slim pointed thing. That's why a pine tree leaf or the tiny tip on a record player is also called a 'needle' — they are pointed and thin like a sewing needle.