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Synonyms

on a dime

Idioms  

  1. In a very small space, suddenly, as in That horse is so well trained it can turn on a dime. This expression alludes to the fact that the dime is the smallest-size U.S. coin. [Early 1900s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The stock market’s day-to-day narrative can change on a dime, and this week’s theme of a pullback in precious metals and bitcoin continued early on Thursday.

From MarketWatch

And though this is not an entirely unexpected plot twist, the film has plenty more up its sleeve, including the opportunity for Seyfried to, once again, turn on a dime.

From Salon

Things “can change on a dime, as it has in the past.”

From The Wall Street Journal

In the NFL, it isn’t uncommon for the fortunes of crummy teams to turn on a dime.

From The Wall Street Journal

“This is ultimately not something someone can change on a dime,” she says.

From MarketWatch

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.