dime

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A coin worth one-tenth of a dollar, that is, ten cents.

   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.

2. 2
   noun

   A small amount of money.

   She didn't spend a dime.

3. 3
   noun

   A thousand dollars.

   At one point, Rob hit a dire losing streak. In a single week, he dropped a dime—$1,000.

4. 4
   noun

   A ten-year prison sentence.

   These deaths got him a dime in a minimum-security prison.

5. 5
   noun

   Payment responsibility.

   Are you traveling on the company's dime?

6. 6
   noun

   A beautiful woman (10 on a 10-point scale).

   Make a couple of nuns a couple of dimes.

7. 7
   verb

   To inform on, to turn in to the authorities, to rat on, especially anonymously.

   Somebody dimed on me and I got arrested for selling marijuana.

8. 8
   verb

   To operate an audio amplifier (especially an electric guitar amplifier) at level "10" (typically the highest amplification level).

   I get the best-sounding sustain and smooth harmonic distortion when I run the amp dimed.

Etymology

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.