needle

/ˈnidl/

/ˈnidəl/

Other forms: needles; needling; needled

A needle is a small, pointed piece of metal that's used in medicine or sewing. When a tailor sews a button on your shirt or even when a doctor sews your skin back together, a needle is used.

Needles are sharp — when you stitch fabric with a needle, you might use a metal thimble to protect your fingertip. When a doctor or nurse uses a needle, it needs to be very sharp — it has to be able to penetrate human skin to stitch up a wound or inject a medication. When you needle someone, you don't literally poke them, but you do annoy or provoke them in some way.

Definitions of needle

1. noun

   a sharp pointed implement (usually steel)
   types:

   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

   darning needle, embroidery needle

   a long needle with an eye large enough for heavy darning or embroidery thread

   sharp

   a long thin sewing needle with a sharp point

   upholstery needle

   any of several very heavy and sometimes curved sewing needles used by upholsterers

   type of:

   implement

   instrumentation (a piece of equipment or tool) used to effect an end
2. noun

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

   pointer

   an indicator as on a dial
3. noun

   the leaf of a conifer
   synonyms: acerate leaf

   type of:

   simple leaf

   a leaf that is not divided into parts
4. noun

   a stylus that formerly made sound by following a groove in a phonograph record
   synonyms: phonograph needle

   type of:

   stylus

   a needle attached to the cartridge of a record player
5. verb

   prick with a needle
   type of:

   prick, prickle

   make a small hole into, as with a needle or a thorn
6. verb

   goad or provoke, as by constant criticism
   “He needled her with his sarcastic remarks”

   synonyms: goad

   type of:

   beset, chevvy, chevy, chivvy, chivy, harass, harry, hassle, molest, plague, provoke

   annoy continually or chronically