needle drop

noun

plural needle drops
1
: the dropping of needles by a conifer (such as a spruce, yew, or pine)
Fall needle drop occurs each year …—Deborah Brown
2
: a popular song used in a film or television show for dramatic effect
… heavy metal needle drops add a flourish to sword fights …—Robert Daniels
—often hyphenated when used before another noun
needle-drop scores

Examples of needle drop in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Here, Malone breaks down some of the show’s key needle drops. — Arushi Jacob, Variety, 26 May 2026 But even now, their quest for the perfect needle drop eludes predictable pathways. — Hugh Hart, IndieWire, 23 May 2026 But without any needle drops, The Bear doesn’t feel or sound like itself. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 26 June 2026 There remains one elusive needle drop, however. — Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for needle drop

Word History

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of needle drop was in 1937

Rhymes for needle drop

See All Rhymes for needle drop

Browse Nearby Words

needle dam
needle drop
needle file
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Needle drop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/needle%20drop. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All