dime

/daim/

Thân thiện

A child saves a shiny dime in her piggy bank.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A coin of the United States: A small, thin coin worth ten cents, or one-tenth of a U.S. dollar.
   • A packet of illegal drugs: A street name for a small quantity of an illegal drug, historically sold for ten dollars.

Examples

• Noun:
  • I need a dime to use the payphone. (I need a ten-cent coin to use the payphone.)
  • The vending machine wouldn't accept the old dime. (The vending machine wouldn't accept the old ten-cent coin.)
  • He was arrested for selling dimes on the corner. (He was arrested for selling small packets of drugs for ten dollars.)

Advanced Usage

• "A dime a dozen": Very common and of little value.
  • Talented singers are a dime a dozen in this city. (Talented singers are very common and not special in this city.)
• "On a dime": With great precision or in a very small space; to stop or turn suddenly.
  • This car can stop on a dime. (This car can stop very suddenly and precisely.)
• "To drop a dime (on someone)": To inform on someone to the authorities.
  • He dropped a dime on his former partners to get a lighter sentence. (He informed the police about his former partners to receive a less severe punishment.)

Variants and Related Words

• Dime store (n): A store that sold inexpensive items, originally where many items cost five or ten cents.
  • She bought the ribbon at a dime store. (She bought the ribbon at a store selling cheap goods.)
• Dime novel (n): A type of cheap, popular novel published in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
  • He collected old dime novels about cowboys. (He collected old, cheap novels about cowboys.)

Synonyms

• Ten-cent piece: Another term for the coin.
• Ten cents: The monetary value of the coin.

Related Phrases

• "Not worth a dime": Worthless.
  • That old advice isn't worth a dime. (That old advice is completely worthless.)
• "To turn on a dime": To change direction or opinion very quickly.
  • The market can turn on a dime based on the latest news. (The market can change direction very quickly based on the latest news.)

Học thuật

Noun

1. street name for a packet of illegal drugs that is sold for ten dollars
2. a United States coin worth one tenth of a dollar

Từ đồng nghĩa

• dime bag