needle-moving

adjective

Making a noticeable difference.

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Meanings

adjectiveneedle-moving (comparative more needle-moving, superlative most needle-moving)

comparative more needle-moving · superlative most needle-moving

  1. Making a noticeable difference.

    Finding realistic needle-moving signings is especially hard when clubs do not want to sell at this stage of a campaign, while you are eternally at the mercy of those with bigger teeth and sharper claws further up the food chain.

    2026 February 3, Glenn Speller, “Championship transfer window winners and losers”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 04 Feb 2026

Origin

See move the needle.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

needle-moving. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/needle-moving

MLA

“needle-moving.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/needle-moving. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “needle-moving,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/needle-moving.

Source: needle-moving on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.