First Known Use: 1786
Dictionary
dime
noun \ˈdīm\
: a U.S. or Canadian coin that is worth 10 cents
Full Definition of DIME
1
a : a coin of the United States 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 (as marijuana) —called also dime bag
— 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
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See dime defined for kids
Origin of DIME
Middle English, tenth part, tithe, from Anglo-French disme, dime, from Latin decima, from feminine of decimus tenth, from decem ten — more at ten
Related to DIME
- Synonyms
- chicken feed [slang], chump change, mite, hay, peanuts, pin money, pittance, shoestring, song, two cents
- Antonyms
- big buck(s), boodle, bundle, fortune, king's ransom, megabuck(s), mint, wad
DIME Defined for Kids
dime
noun \ˈdīm\
Definition of DIME for Kids
: a United States coin worth ten cents
Word History of DIME
In earlier English, our name for a coin worth a tenth of a dollar meant simply “a tenth part” of something. This word was borrowed from medieval French dime or disme, with the same meaning. Dime, in turn, descends from Latin decima, a form of decimus, meaning “tenth.”
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