dime

[dahym] /daɪm/
noun
1.
a cupronickel-clad coin of the U.S. and Canada, the 10th part of a dollar, equal to 10 cents.
2.
Slang.
  1. ten dollars.
  2. a 10-year prison sentence.
  3. dime bag.
Idioms
3.
a dime a dozen, Informal. so abundant that the value has decreased; readily available.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French di(s)me < Latin decima tenth part, tithe, noun use of feminine of decimus tenth, derivative of decem ten
Examples from the web for dime
  • No point in drying them, as dried chickpeas are a dime a dozen.
  • Near the base of one maple, she found a beetle sprinkled with sawdust, its head submerged in a dime-size hole in the tree's trunk.
  • Their idea of engineering is making something for a dime that any fool can make for a dollar, and having fun doing it.
  • Otherwise he is a hollow puppet whether he is a millionaire or has scarcely a dime to bless himself with.
  • What is more, they are travelling on their own dime, hoping they will be reimbursed when the shutdown ends.
  • Give or take a dime or two, it matters little where a poverty line is drawn.
  • But a stray gun can do far more damage than a stray dime bag.
  • They simply don't care a dime about feeding the world and helping people.
  • That's despite not paying them a dime in licensing costs for the service.
  • The wheel motors might allow a vehicle to almost literally turn on a dime, making parking much easier.
British Dictionary definitions for dime

dime

/daɪm/
noun
1.
a coin of the US and Canada, worth one tenth of a dollar or ten cents
2.
a dime a dozen, very cheap or common
Word Origin
C14: from Old French disme, from Latin decimus tenth, from decem ten
Word Origin and History for dime
n.

chosen 1786 as name for U.S. 10 cent coin, from dime "a tenth, tithe" (late 14c.), from Old French disme (Modern French dîme) "a tenth part," from Latin decima (pars) "tenth (part)," from decem "ten" (see ten).

The verb meaning "to inform" (on someone) is 1960s, from the then-cost of a pay phone call. A dime a dozen "almost worthless" first recorded 1930. Phrase stop on a dime attested by 1954 (a dime being the physically smallest unit of U.S. currency).

Slang definitions & phrases for dime

dime

noun
  1. A ten-year prison sentence (1960s+ Underworld)
  2. A thousand dollars, esp as a bet (1960s+ Gambling)
verb

(also drop a dime) To inform on someone; sing, squeal: Frankie would have been okay if somebody hadn't dimed on him (1960s+ Underworld & prison)

Related Terms

five-and-ten, get off the dime, nickel and dime, on someone's dime, stop on a dime, a thin dime, turn on a dime

[verb sense from the dime dropped into the pay telephone for the call to the police]


dime bag

n phr,n

Ten dollars' worth of a narcotic (1960s+ Narcotics)


Idioms and Phrases with dime

dime

In addition to the idiom beginning with
dime
also see: