1
a
: a coin of the U.S. worth ¹/₁₀ dollar
b
: a petty sum of money
2
: a Canadian 10-cent piece
3
slang
: a packet containing 10 dollars worth of an illicit drug (such as marijuana)
called also dime bag
4
informal
: money provided to pay expenses
Executives in a perk-rich environment get used to living on the company's dime [=on the company's money; at the company's expense]—
James Surowiecki
James SurowieckiThey hopped a Greyhound, on their own dime, and had such a good time they stayed on …—Mark Ribowsky
Mark RibowskyThe boys are worthless, feckless layabouts, living off David's dime.—Whitney Pastorek
Whitney Pastorek5
informal
a
basketball
: a pass by a player who enables a teammate to make a basket
Harden ended up recording his first triple-double of the season with 44 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. He delivered seven dimes to Capela …—Tim MacMahon
—often used with dropTim MacMahonNot only was he scoring in the post and grabbing rebounds, he also was dropping dimes [=making passes to enable teammates to score] including a flashy pass to Chance Coyle.—Hendrix Magley
Hendrix Magley
b
American football
: an accurate pass by a quarterback to a receiver
—often used with drop
He spun out of sacks and threw on the run, dropping dimes down the field that few quarterbacks in history could be trusted to deliver.—Ryan Kartje
Ryan Kartje
Synonyms
Examples of dime in a Sentence
the beauty of this deal is that all the extras won't cost you a dime
Recent Examples on the Web
This leads the team to Rep. Shirley Ives (Mandy Levin), who led the hearing and reluctantly shows Parker and Vance (Rocky Carroll) footage of Greene spotting a flying vehicle performing right-angle turns, avoiding radar, and reversing directions on a dime.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 1 Apr. 2024
Despite its reputation for being on the pricier side, Iceland offers a treasure trove of experiences that don't cost a dime.
—David Nikel, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Italian restaurants are a dime a dozen in a city in New York, though few places deliver on food, beverage, and ambiance like Cucina Alba.
—Vicki Denig, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Grazing horses and prestigious farms are a dime a dozen in these parts.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 25 Mar. 2024
There are plenty of things to do, and many of them don’t cost a dime (aside from your parking fee).
—Melissa Oyler, Charlotte Observer, 1 Mar. 2024
One attorney, Ashleigh Merchant, filed her findings in January: Willis and Wade had taken trips to places like Napa Valley and Aruba, allegedly on Wade’s dime.
—Charles Bethea, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024
And in many of these cases, these children don’t see a dime.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 12 Mar. 2024
One new fee requires sellers to either pay for a new Amazon warehousing service or begin shipping goods to at least four different warehouses on their own dime to avoid the fee.
—Jason Del Rey, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2024
Sara Netzley, EW.com, 1 Apr. 2024
Despite its reputation for being on the pricier side, Iceland offers a treasure trove of experiences that don't cost a dime.
—David Nikel, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Italian restaurants are a dime a dozen in a city in New York, though few places deliver on food, beverage, and ambiance like Cucina Alba.
—Vicki Denig, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Grazing horses and prestigious farms are a dime a dozen in these parts.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 25 Mar. 2024
There are plenty of things to do, and many of them don’t cost a dime (aside from your parking fee).
—Melissa Oyler, Charlotte Observer, 1 Mar. 2024
One attorney, Ashleigh Merchant, filed her findings in January: Willis and Wade had taken trips to places like Napa Valley and Aruba, allegedly on Wade’s dime.
—Charles Bethea, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024
And in many of these cases, these children don’t see a dime.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 12 Mar. 2024
One new fee requires sellers to either pay for a new Amazon warehousing service or begin shipping goods to at least four different warehouses on their own dime to avoid the fee.
—Jason Del Rey, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dime.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing dime
Dictionary Entries Near dime
Cite this Entry
“Dime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dime. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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More from Merriam-Webster on dime
Nglish: Translation of dime for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of dime for Arabic Speakers
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