needle
/ˈniːdl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈniːdl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈnē-dᵊl/ (ame, mw) · /ˈniː.dəl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈniː.dəl/ (ame, ipa)
needle — noun
- needlesingular
- needlesplural
1. a short thin metal or plastic object that is sharpened to a tip at the front and
a short thin metal or plastic object that is sharpened to a tip at the front and has a small hole near the back through which sewing thread passes, used for joining pieces of fabric together or stitching up cuts in medical treatment
Sofia threaded the needle carefully before starting to sew her dress.
collocation: thread a needle
The tailor pushed the needle through the thick denim without bending it.
Sana pushed the needle through the fabric and pulled the thread tight.
Darius pricked his finger on the needle while mending his shirt.
The doctor used a curved needle to close the wound with five stitches.
用法筆記
The small hole in a sewing needle is called the eye. To thread a needle means to pass thread through the eye.
常見錯誤
2. a long slender rod, usually made of metal, plastic, or wood, that tapers to a ti
a long slender rod, usually made of metal, plastic, or wood, that tapers to a tip and is used together with a second rod to create fabric by interlocking loops of yarn
Eshe cast on forty stitches using her new bamboo knitting needles.
knitting specific vocabulary: cast on stitches
Thick knitting needles produce loose fabric, while thin ones create tight rows.
Gabriel bought a set of circular knitting needles for making a sweater.
Putri's knitting needles clicked together as she worked on her wool scarf.
用法筆記
Knitting needles are almost always used in pairs. Circular needles have a flexible cable connecting two needle ends and are used for knitting in the round.
3. an extremely narrow metal tube with a sharpened tip and an empty centre, attache
an extremely narrow metal tube with a sharpened tip and an empty centre, attached to a syringe to inject medicine beneath the skin or to withdraw blood samples for laboratory testing
The doctor warned that the needle would sting for only a second.
Ishaan felt dizzy at the sight of the long needle approaching his arm.
Needles for drawing blood must be thrown away after a single use.
Haruto's diabetes requires him to use a fresh needle for each insulin injection.
A thinner needle hurts less than a thick one when receiving a vaccine.
- syringe
the whole device including the tube; needle is just the pointed metal part
- hypodermic
formal technical term for the needle used under the skin
用法筆記
In everyday conversation, people often say shot or jab instead of needle: 'I had my flu shot today.' Needle is the name of the instrument; the medical procedure is an injection or shot.
常見錯誤
4. the thin moving metal piece on a compass, speedometer, or other measuring device
the thin moving metal piece on a compass, speedometer, or other measuring device that turns to show a direction, value, or measurement on a scale
The compass needle always points toward the Earth's magnetic north pole.
collocation: compass needle
Daniel watched the speedometer needle climb past one hundred kilometres per hour.
The needle on the fuel gauge hovered just above the empty mark.
Owen tapped the gauge gently to free a stuck needle.
常見錯誤
5. the thin, stiff, pointed leaf that grows on pine trees and other evergreen trees
the thin, stiff, pointed leaf that grows on pine trees and other evergreen trees that stay green all year
A thick carpet of dry pine needles covered the forest floor.
collocation: pine needles + forest floor
The children gathered pine needles for their school nature project.
Pine needles release a fresh, woody smell when crushed in your hand.
Lucía swept the fallen pine needles off the front porch with a broom.
用法筆記
Pine needles grow in clusters called bundles. Different pine species have bundles of two, three, or five needles.
6. the small, extremely hard pointed piece on a record player or turntable that tou
the small, extremely hard pointed piece on a record player or turntable that touches the grooves of a spinning vinyl record and converts the movements into sound
Sofia gently lowered the needle onto the vinyl record to start the music.
collocation: lower the needle onto [record]
A worn needle can scratch a record and ruin the sound quality.
The diamond-tipped needle traced the grooves of the old jazz album.
Gabriel replaced the needle on his turntable when he heard crackling noises.
用法筆記
Needle is the everyday word; the technical term is stylus. Most modern record players still use a needle, though the word stylus is common among audio enthusiasts.
needle — verb
- needlepresent simple I / you / we / they
- needles3rd person singular
- needling-ing form
- needledpast simple
1. to deliberately keep saying things that annoy or irritate someone, often in a te
to deliberately keep saying things that annoy or irritate someone, often in a teasing or critical way, in order to get a reaction from them
Darius's younger sister kept needling him about his messy bedroom.
The journalist needled the politician with questions about the broken promise.
needle + person + with + questions
Stop needling your brother — he is trying to finish his homework.
Eshe's classmates needled her for weeks about her unusual accent.
"Why do you keep needling me about my haircut?" Owen asked with irritation.
文法句型
needle + person + about/over + topic
用法筆記
This verb is stronger than tease but weaker than harass. It suggests repeated, targeted comments that eventually get under the person's skin. The object is always a person.