# drop a dime

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/drop-a-dime
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To make a telephone call.

## Examples

- I will drop a dime to my friend later today.
- Please drop a dime to the doctor if your fever gets worse.
- I always drop a dime to my grandmother on her birthday.
- If you need any help with the project, just drop a dime to the office and ask for me.
- Whenever you feel lonely while traveling abroad, you should drop a dime to your parents to hear a familiar voice.
- The manager asked the team to drop a dime to the client before the meeting starts to confirm the time.
- The detective waited in the shadows, hoping the informant would finally drop a dime regarding the suspect's location.

## Origin

The expression originates from the mid-20th-century American practice of using a ten-cent coin to operate a public telephone. To drop a dime was to insert the necessary currency into a payphone to contact the police and provide information regarding a third party's illicit activities. The phrase persists as a synonym for informing on an associate, though the required coinage and the booths themselves have largely been retired from service.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.