From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishldoce_231_dneedlenee‧dle1 /ˈniːdl/ ●●○ noun [countable] 1 
sewing a) DLHa small thin piece of steel, with a point at one end and a hole in the other, used for sewing → pin a needle and thread a tapestry needle b) DLHa knitting needle2 drugsMDMDD a very thin, pointed steel tube at the end of a syringe, which is pushed into your skin to put a drug or medicine into your body or to take out blood She carried hypodermic needles and syringes in her bag. Drug users are at risk when they share needles.3 pointerTM a long thin piece of metal on a scientific instrument that moves backwards and forwards and points to numbers or directions a compass needle4 medical treatment a long, very thin piece of metal used in acupuncture (=a kind of medical treatment originally used in China)5 leafHBP a small needle-shaped leaf, especially from a pine tree pine needles 6 recordsTCR the very small, pointed part in a record player that touches the record in order to play it7 → like looking for a needle in a haystack → pins and needlesCOLLOCATIONSverbsthread a needleEleanor threaded the needle.use a needleI don't think he even knows how to use a needle!phrasesa needle and threadI got a needle and thread and sewed the button back on.the eye of a needle (=the hole at the top of the needle that the thread goes through)This gadget helps you put the thread through the eye of the needle.
sewing a) DLHa small thin piece of steel, with a point at one end and a hole in the other, used for sewing → pin a needle and thread a tapestry needle b) DLHa knitting needle2 drugsMDMDD a very thin, pointed steel tube at the end of a syringe, which is pushed into your skin to put a drug or medicine into your body or to take out blood She carried hypodermic needles and syringes in her bag. Drug users are at risk when they share needles.3 pointerTM a long thin piece of metal on a scientific instrument that moves backwards and forwards and points to numbers or directions a compass needle4 medical treatment a long, very thin piece of metal used in acupuncture (=a kind of medical treatment originally used in China)5 leafHBP a small needle-shaped leaf, especially from a pine tree pine needles 6 recordsTCR the very small, pointed part in a record player that touches the record in order to play it7 → like looking for a needle in a haystack → pins and needlesCOLLOCATIONSverbsthread a needleEleanor threaded the needle.use a needleI don't think he even knows how to use a needle!phrasesa needle and threadI got a needle and thread and sewed the button back on.the eye of a needle (=the hole at the top of the needle that the thread goes through)This gadget helps you put the thread through the eye of the needle.Examples from the Corpus
needle• Billy used his penknife to fashion a needle sharp point on each of the sticks.• It will be like looking for a needle in a haystack.• The AIDS virus can be transmitted by the use of dirty needles.• Then I tried the new needle supplied with the machine when I bought it many years ago.• How many tucks can any one needle accept without the whole thing piling up on the needles and jamming the carriages?• Pick up a handful of pine needles from the forest floor.• Then firmly tack the seam, leaving the needles in place, to hold the layers together.• There must be some dust on the needle.• The needles have dropped off the Christmas tree.• The needles splinter the wind into dirges and laments that tell of the long and tragic history of the trees.needleneedle2 verb [transitive] informal ANGRYto deliberately annoy someone by making unkind remarks or jokes about them SYN rib, tease I just said that to Charlie to needle him.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
needle• She prodded, quizzed, needled, and unsettled me for about an hour until finally she stopped, satisfied.• Something about him was beginning to needle her, challenging her to meet him on his own terms.• Paula kept needling him about getting a job, and so finally he hit her.• She needled him too much and punctured his control.• Beak's been filed to needle sharpness.• Band members sing spontaneous and insulting ditties, needling the girls as they run up the court or in-bound the ball.Origin needle1 Old English nædl 