dime's worth
2
8.1
- noun
- /daɪmz wɜrθ/
- Informal
:
penny
- Whether she gets the hole in the hall or not won't make a dime's worth of difference a couple of days from now.
- a dime's worth of difference
Examples
-
Then there's the claim that there's not a dime's worth of difference between the two parties.
Blog text (2) -
There's not a dime's worth of difference between them, and you know it.
Blog text (2) -
"There's not a dime's worth of difference between the Democrat and Republican parties."
Blog text (6) -
It turned out that there wasn't a dime's worth of difference between the two parties, at least not fiscally.
Blog text (29) -
The prevailing view that there is "not a dime's worth of difference" between the Democrats and Republicans is often cited as a reason why relatively few Americans go to the polls.
Academic text (1992) -
There is not a dime's worth of difference between these two standards.
-
It's so close there's not a dime's worth of difference.
-
Whether she gets the hole in the hall or not won't make a dime's worth of difference a couple of days from now.
Synonyms
513
1.0
A small coin worth one of 100 parts of a pound or dollar
10
2.3
A small amount of money in coins that is not worth much
8
8.2
A very small amount of money that hardly matters next to bigger costs
8
2.5
A small amount of money, usually coins, kept for minor expenses
5
9.9
A British coin from the past worth a quarter of a penny, also meaning a very small amount
5
9.9
An old British coin worth two pennies or a very small amount of money
2
9.9
Something of little or no worth
1
9.9
A very small thing that is not important or valuable
A very small amount that is not enough
A very small amount of money or something of little value
A very small amount of money that has little value
A very small amount of money or a small favor given as a token
Antonyms
How Much
Surface Forms
Morphology
dime's + worth
The meaning follows directly from combining 'dime' (a small coin/monetary unit) with 'worth' (value), so 'dime's worth' transparently denotes a very small or insignificant value. Cross-linguistic parallels (e.g. 'not worth a cent') and the literal compositional logic make this predictable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
Dime's worth comes from the image of a small coin called a dime and the word worth, meaning value. The idea of something being worth only a dime makes it seem almost useless, so 'dime's worth' now means 'very small or insignificant'.