dime

UK: /ˈdaɪm/ US: /daɪm/ ,(dīm)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

dime /daɪm/   n. [countable]

1. Currency a coin of the U.S. and Canada worth 10 cents.
2. Slang Terms
   • ten dollars.
   • a 10-year prison sentence.
   • an amount of illegal drugs worth ten dollars.

Idioms

3. Idioms a dime a dozen, common, abundant, and thus of little value:
   Such proposals are a dime a dozen.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

dime  (dīm), n. 

1. Currency a cupronickel-clad coin of the U.S. and Canada, the 10th part of a dollar, equal to 10 cents.
2. Slang Terms
   • ten dollars.
   • a 10-year prison sentence.
   • See dime bag. 
3. a dime a dozen, [Informal.] so abundant that the value has decreased;
   readily available.

• Latin decima tenth part, tithe, noun, nominal use of feminine of decimus tenth, derivative of decem ten
• Anglo-French, Old French di(s)me
• Middle English 1350–1400

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

dime / daɪm/ noun

1. a coin of the US and Canada, worth one tenth of a dollar or ten cents
2. a dime a dozen ⇒ very cheap or common

Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French disme, from Latin decimus tenth, from decem ten