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 KartjeSynonyms
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
One example Christ gave of how an automaker’s plans can’t turn on a dime when there’s a new resident of the White House is a $14 billion battery plant Toyota is building in North Carolina to equip future battery-electric and hybrid vehicles.
—Ed Garsten, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
On the other, children’s interests can change on a dime.
—Kimberly Zapata, Parents, 24 Oct. 2024
The dime that sold last weekend garnered over 200 bids Sunday night and sold for $506,250, nearly 30 times what the previous wonders paid for the coin 46 years ago in 1978.
—Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024
Raised on a dairy farm in Ohio, the sisters who consigned the dime have chosen to remain anonymous.
—Martin Lerma, Robb Report, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dime 
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Ed Garsten, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
On the other, children’s interests can change on a dime.
—Kimberly Zapata, Parents, 24 Oct. 2024
The dime that sold last weekend garnered over 200 bids Sunday night and sold for $506,250, nearly 30 times what the previous wonders paid for the coin 46 years ago in 1978.
—Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024
Raised on a dairy farm in Ohio, the sisters who consigned the dime have chosen to remain anonymous.
—Martin Lerma, Robb Report, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dime
Dictionary Entries Near dime
Cite this Entry
“Dime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dime. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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