Dime Meaning
/daɪm/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA coin worth one-tenth of a dollar, that is, ten cents.
nounA small amount of money.
Sentence Examples
Can you lend me a dime?
I don't have a dime on me.
The mechanic fixed my car without charging me a dime.
CEFR Practice Quiz
She found a shiny ____ on the sidewalk near the fountain.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Can you lend me a ____?
Word Origin & History
From Middle English dime, from Anglo-Norman disme (“one tenth, tithe”) (modern French dîme), from Medieval Latin decima, from Latin decima (pars) (“tenth (part)”). Doublet of decim, decima, and decime.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The San Francisco mint made about 2.5 million of these dimes, but fewer than 10 are still known to exist, according to Heritage. That’s because a financial crisis in 1893 killed demand for new coinage, and almost all the dimes were melted down."
— 2016 January 8, Aaron Smith, “This old dime just sold for $2 million”, in CNN:
"At one point, Rob hit a dire losing streak. In a single week, he dropped a dime—$1,000."
— 2007 05, Ted McClelland, Horseplayers: Life at the Track, Chicago Review Press, →ISBN:
"These deaths got him a dime in a minimum-security prison."
— 2007 September 23, David Bowman, “Torchlit Crit”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
"Make a couple of nuns a couple of dimes."
— 2005, “Stay Fly”, in Jordan Houston, Darnell Carlton, Paul Beauregard, Premro Smith, Marlon Goodwin, David Brown, Willie Hutchinson (lyrics), Most Known Unknown, performed by Three 6 Mafia (featuring Young Buck, 8 Ball, and MJG), Sony BMG:
"Wait in line for drinks, it’s another time out / Made out on the floor with a couple dimes"
— 2008, “House Music”, in Afterparty Babies, performed by Cadence Weapon:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
She found a shiny ____ on the sidewalk near the fountain.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Can you lend me a ____?