Dime means: A great pass that leads directly to a score - "drop a dime" or "served up a dime." Counts as an assist.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
dime
A great pass that leads directly to a score — "drop a dime" or "served up a dime." Counts as an assist.
daɪmDocumented since 1980s1980sGen XhistoricalCurrent271 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026＋ Add a definition
Seen in the wild
5 citations · last seen May 2026
Etymology timeline
Born ~1980 · 1 year of recorded useGen X eraSee decade cohort →
Seen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
The real welfare queens and terrorists are not coming from other countries they're right on Capitol Hill, holding office, and running multi billion dollar corporations...all on the American tax payer dime...
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BlueskyMay 2026
At 2:19 AM CDT, 2 W Pea Ridge [Benton Co, AR] Public reports Hail of penny size (M0.75 Inch). Report from mPING: Dime (0.75 in.). #arwx Link
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BlueskyMay 2026
10% of $1,000,000,000 a yr is a lot more paid in taxes than 10% of $100,000 or 10% of $ 50,000 basically we all pay a dime for every dollar with no loop holes.
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BlueskyMay 2026
What about the abuse on taxpayers dime its always the poor bitch !
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BlueskyMay 2026
Why doesn't Trump just gift him a 500 million dollar ballroom on the taxpayers dime? He'll be so much safer and Donald Trump won't have to worry about the only person he ever really loved
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Definitions
Global
#1·Apr 26, 2026Global
A great pass that leads directly to a score — "drop a dime" or "served up a dime." Counts as an assist.
"He dropped a dime to the corner shooter."
Origin: Older basketball slang dating to at least the 1980s; possibly from the 1950s "drop a dime" telephone-call expression.
For parents
Dime means: A great pass that leads directly to a score - "drop a dime" or "served up a dime." Counts as an assist.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
dime means: A great pass that leads directly to a score - "drop a dime" or "served up a dime." Counts as an assist.. Register: neutral, standard English. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
Heard in the wild
“The real welfare queens and terrorists are not coming from other countries they're right on Capitol Hill, holding office, and running multi billion dollar corporations...all on the American tax payer dime...”
— Bluesky· May 2026“At 2:19 AM CDT, 2 W Pea Ridge [Benton Co, AR] Public reports Hail of penny size (M0.75 Inch). Report from mPING: Dime (0.75 in.). #arwx Link”
— Bluesky· May 2026“10% of $1,000,000,000 a yr is a lot more paid in taxes than 10% of $100,000 or 10% of $ 50,000 basically we all pay a dime for every dollar with no loop holes.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“What about the abuse on taxpayers dime its always the poor bitch !”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Why doesn't Trump just gift him a 500 million dollar ballroom on the taxpayers dime? He'll be so much safer and Donald Trump won't have to worry about the only person he ever really loved”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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Show 11 more dictionary-style senses (imported)
Global
#2·May 2, 2026Global
A particularly long or precise throw that ends with a catch.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Global
#3·May 2, 2026Global
To inform on, to turn in to the authorities, to rat on, especially anonymously.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Global
#4·May 2, 2026Global
A defensive formation with six defensive backs, one of whom is a dimeback.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Global
#5·May 2, 2026Global
A coin worth one-tenth of a dollar, that is, ten cents.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Global
#6·May 2, 2026Global
A beautiful woman (10 on a 10-point scale).
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Global
#7·May 2, 2026Global
A measure of illicit drugs (usually marijuana) sold in ten-dollar bags.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Global
#8·May 2, 2026Global
A ten-year prison sentence.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Global
#9·May 2, 2026Global
To operate an audio amplifier (especially an electric guitar amplifier) at level "10" (typically the highest amplification level).
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Global
#10·May 2, 2026Global
A small amount of money.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Global
#11·May 2, 2026Global
Payment responsibility.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Global
#12·May 2, 2026Global
A playing card with the rank of ten.
Source: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Global
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??About Drugs & Substances slang
Slang for cannabis, opioids, stimulants, psychedelics, alcohol, prescription drugs, and rave/club culture.
See all Drugs & Substances slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "dime" (D)
dimberdimber covedimber damberdimber mortdimbodimbusdime dropperdimelessdime museumdime noveldimensional lumberdime piece
Browse all slang words starting with D.
Related terms
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Semantically related
- drop dimes83%
(sports) To make multiple assists.
- drop dimes83%
In basketball slang, to drop dimes means to dish out a string of beautiful assists — perfectly timed passes that set up teammates for easy buckets. A player who drops dimes is a floor general, a playmaker, someone whose passes are so crisp and well-placed they're almost currency. The phrase is also used more broadly to mean to make a quick, often small, payment, but the sports sense has become dominant in modern American slang, celebrated in highlight reels and commentator praise alike.
- drop a dime73%
(idiomatic, slang) To make a telephone call.
- drop a dime on someone71%
(slang) To inform on (a person); to turn someone in.