Definition of "needle" []

• A small, slender implement used for sewing or surgical suturing, made usually of polished steel and having an eye at one end through which a length of thread is passed and held. (noun)
• Any one of various other implements, such as one used in knitting or crocheting. (noun)
• A slender piece of jewel or steel used to transmit vibrations from the grooves of a phonograph record. (noun)
• A slender pointer or indicator on a dial, scale, or similar part of a mechanical device. (noun)
• A magnetic needle. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The term 'needle in a haystack' certainly seems like an appropriate comparison."
• "The phrase needle in cotton describes the feeling that a Tai Chi practitioner should have while doing the form."
• "The phrase needle in cotton depicts the image of a needle resting in the middle of a ball of cotton."