dime

noun

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
They hopped a Greyhound, on their own dime, and had such a good time they stayed on …Mark Ribowsky
The boys are worthless, feckless layabouts, living off David's dime.Whitney Pastorek
5
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 drop
Not 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
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
Phrases
a dime a dozen
: so plentiful or commonplace as to be of little esteem or slight value
on a dime
1
: in a very small area
these cars can turn on a dime
2

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 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 The Razorbacks had more assists than turnovers for a third straight game, dishing out 16 dimes against just five turnovers. Jackson Fuller, Kansas City Star, 24 Feb. 2024 To further set the tone for the final stretch of the season in the first quarter, Curry added a gorgeous behind-the-back, no-look dime to Andrew Wiggins for a transition dunk. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2024 James Beard Award winners are a dime a dozen in this city, but what's equally impressive is the diversity of cuisine found here. Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2024 If someone’s getting 700 million streams and the songwriter’s barely seeing a dime, that’s not fair. Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 29 Feb. 2024 Strokes, sudden heart attacks, cancer, car accidents, or even slipping in the tub can change life on a dime. Carolyn McClanahan, Forbes, 28 Feb. 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

Etymology

Middle English, tenth part, tithe, from Anglo-French disme, dime, from Latin decima, from feminine of decimus tenth, from decem ten — more at ten

First Known Use

1786, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of dime was in 1786

Dictionary Entries Near dime

Cite this Entry

“Dime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dime. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dime

noun
: a U.S. coin worth ⅒ dollar
Etymology

Middle English dime "a tenth part," from early French dime (same meaning), derived from Latin decimus "a tenth part," from decem "ten" — related to december, decimal, dozen

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