dime / dīm/ • n. a ten-cent coin. ∎ inf. a small amount of money: he didn't have a dime. ∎ inf. used to refer to something small in size, area, or degree: there's not a dime's worth of difference between you and him. ∎ inf. short for dime bag.,PHRASES: a dime a dozen inf. very common and of no particular value: experts in this field are a dime a dozen.drop a (or the) dime on someone inf. inform on someone.get off the dime inf. be decisive and show initiative: at some point you have to get off the dime and do something.on a dime inf. used to refer to a maneuver that can be performed by a moving vehicle or person within a small area or short distance: boats that can turn on a dime.ORIGIN: late Middle English: from Old French disme, from Latin decima pars ‘tenth part.’ The word originally denoted a tithe or tenth part; the modern sense ‘ten-cent coin’ dates from the late 18th cent.

dime in North American usage, a ten-cent coin; more generally, a small amount of money. The modern sense dates from the late 18th century, but the word originally (in Middle English) denoted a tithe or tenth part, and came ultimately (via Old French) from Latin decima pars ‘tenth part’.
dime novel a cheap, popular novel, typically a melodramatic romance or adventure story.
on a dime used to refer to a manoeuvre that can be performed within a small area or short distance.

dime †tenth part XIV; 1/10 of a dollar XVIII. — (O)F. dime, †disme :- L. decima tithe, sb. use (sc. pars part) of fem. of decimus TENTH.