dime

Etymology 1

Middle English dime, from Anglo-Norman disme (“one tenth, tithe”) (modern French dîme), from Latin decimus (“tenth”). Doublet of decime.

noun

1. (US) A coin worth one-tenth of a U.S. dollar.
2. (Canada) A coin worth one-tenth of a Canadian dollar.
3. (Canada, US) A small amount of money.
   She didn't spend a dime.
4. (US, basketball) An assist.
5. (slang) A playing card with the rank of ten.
6. (slang) Ten dollars.
7. (slang) A thousand dollars.
   At one point, Rob hit a dire losing streak. In a single week, he dropped a dime—$1,000. 2007 05, Ted McClelland, Horseplayers: Life at the Track, Chicago Review Press
8. (slang) A measurement of illicit drugs (usually marijuana) sold in ten dollar bags.
9. (slang) A ten year prison sentence.
   These deaths got him a dime in a minimum-security prison. 2007-09-23, David Bowman, “Torchlit Crit”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
10. (slang) Payment responsibility.
    Are you traveling on the company's dime?
11. (US, slang) A beautiful woman (10 on a 10-point scale).
    Make a couple of nuns a couple of dimes. 2005, “Stay Fly”, in Jordan Houston, Darnell Carlton, Paul Beauregard, Premro Smith, Marlon Goodwin, David Brown, Willie Hutchinson (lyrics), Most Known Unknown, performed by Three 6 Mafia (featuring Young Buck, 8 Ball, and MJG), Sony BMG
    Wait in line for drinks, it’s another time out / Made out on the floor with a couple dimes 2008, “House Music”, in Afterparty Babies, performed by Cadence Weapon
12. (American football) A defensive formation with six defensive backs, one of whom is a dimeback.

Etymology 2

From the use of the coin in a payphone to report a crime to the police. US payphones charged 10¢ in almost all jurisdictions until the late 1970s.

verb

1. (US, slang, with "on") To inform on, to turn in to the authorities, to rat on, especially anonymously.
   Somebody dimed on me and I got arrested for selling marijuana.
2. (US, slang) To operate an audio amplifier (especially an electric guitar amplifier) at level "10" (typically the highest amplification level).
   I get the best-sounding sustain and smooth harmonic distortion when I run the amp dimed.