noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A stack of needles. Represents the task of finding one thing among a large number of very similar things. figuratively

   "Unless their flag of a flower is waving, finding such plants is like finding a needle in a needlestack."

Example

More examples

"That's looking for a needle in a needlestack."

Etymology

Blend of needle + haystack, from the metaphor of a needle in a haystack.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.