compass needle

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Back in the lab, the cores were sliced into thin sections and analyzed with a highly sensitive magnetometer capable of detecting signals far weaker than a compass needle.

From Science Daily • Mar. 21, 2026

The lasers help measure changes in the atoms’ internal compass needle, which is used to calculate the strength of the magnetic field.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025

Above, the mast tilted back and forth like a compass needle aimed at the sky.

From New York Times • Dec. 27, 2022

These errors are akin to flipping a compass needle from north to south or east to west, respectively.

From Scientific American • Sep. 22, 2022

My compass needle of pain told me it was on the path now, and the way its venom was expanding to fill me meant it was closing in fast.

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs