dime out
C1 slang separable transitive
In simple words
To tell the police or someone in charge that another person did something wrong.
Literal meaning: Historically, to drop a dime (coin) in a payphone to call police and inform on someone.
Meanings
1 C1
idiomatic
slang
To inform on someone to the police or another authority, revealing their illegal or wrongful activities.
"Nobody knew who had dimed him out, but the cops arrived within minutes."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
American slang, associated with street culture and crime drama. Derives from the idea of using a dime (10-cent coin) to make a payphone call to the police. Considered a serious social transgression in many communities. Rarely heard outside American contexts.
Commonly used with
police boss rival friend gang dealer
Forms
Base
dime out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
dimes out
he/she/it
Past simple
dimed out
yesterday
Past participle
dimed out
have + pp
-ing form
diming out
continuous
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