1
: a depression or hollow made by a blow or by pressure
2
: an appreciable impression or effect often made against resistance
hasn't made a dent in the problem
specifically
: a weakening or lessening effect
costs that have made a dent in the budget
Synonyms
Examples of dent in a Sentence
Verb
I'm afraid I dented the wall pretty badly when I was hammering in that nail.
Many of the cans were badly dented.
Some types of metal dent more easily than others.
The team's confidence has been dented by a recent series of losses.
Noun (1)
there was a big dent in the car's hood where something had hit it
a little belt-tightening would at least make a small dent in our credit-card debt
Recent Examples on the Web
Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 9 May 2024
Such attacks have disabled up to 15 percent of refinery capacity in Vladimir Putin’s Russia, denting both its ability to earn export income and to wage war against Ukraine.
—Thomas J. Duesterberg, National Review, 7 May 2024
Some of what else was found include: Cans of baby corn and tomato sauce were dented.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2024
And that’s the reason reason has yet to dent the citadel of MAGA, and never will.
—Peter Rubin, Longreads, 19 Mar. 2024
Polling for Sky News, NBC News’ British partner, suggested that more than half of the population had seen the conspiracy theories, but that trust in the royals had not been significantly dented.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 19 Mar. 2024
Winners would have to make their way to the cities involved but that’s hardly likely to dent their popularity; particularly in Europe, traveling to the city, whether by land or air, is not likely to be expensive.
—Sarah Turner, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
Gattuso, whose contract was due to expire at the end of the season, was relieved of his coaching duties a day after Marseille lost 1-0 to 10-man Brest in the league, a result that dented the club’s hopes of qualifying for a European competition next season.
—Samuel Petrequin, USA TODAY, 19 Feb. 2024
Announcing such big financial commitments immediately dents the share price.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, NPR, 10 May 2024
If enacted, this payment would put another dent in UCLA’s athletic budget.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2024
Economic straits, the surging cost of raising a kid, and the deepening childcare crisis have all made a dent in America’s birth rate.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 9 May 2024
This contribution of both affordable and market rate housing would put a major dent in region’s housing shortage, which poses an alarming threat to the county’s economic future and viability.
—Elizabeth Hansburg, Orange County Register, 9 May 2024
Builders are finally making a dent in the state’s housing shortfall, especially for apartments.
—Aldo Svaldi, The Denver Post, 5 May 2024
But the chaos put a dent in their plans for training and recovery ahead of Wednesday’s game.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 5 May 2024
Cons: Can be noisy during rain or hail; initial cost is high; potential for dents.
—Sara Kendall, Miami Herald, 3 May 2024
More affordable models driven partly by falling battery prices could encourage more drivers to make a switch and could even help make a dent in the Biden Administration’s goal of having 50 percent of all new vehicle sales be electric by 2030.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 1 May 2024
Verb
The windshield was smashed and the hood dented, but the damage didn’t appear to be too extensive on the outside.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 9 May 2024
Such attacks have disabled up to 15 percent of refinery capacity in Vladimir Putin’s Russia, denting both its ability to earn export income and to wage war against Ukraine.
—Thomas J. Duesterberg, National Review, 7 May 2024
Some of what else was found include: Cans of baby corn and tomato sauce were dented.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2024
And that’s the reason reason has yet to dent the citadel of MAGA, and never will.
—Peter Rubin, Longreads, 19 Mar. 2024
Polling for Sky News, NBC News’ British partner, suggested that more than half of the population had seen the conspiracy theories, but that trust in the royals had not been significantly dented.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 19 Mar. 2024
Winners would have to make their way to the cities involved but that’s hardly likely to dent their popularity; particularly in Europe, traveling to the city, whether by land or air, is not likely to be expensive.
—Sarah Turner, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
Gattuso, whose contract was due to expire at the end of the season, was relieved of his coaching duties a day after Marseille lost 1-0 to 10-man Brest in the league, a result that dented the club’s hopes of qualifying for a European competition next season.
—Samuel Petrequin, USA TODAY, 19 Feb. 2024
Announcing such big financial commitments immediately dents the share price.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
Noun
Immigration policy analysts say the rule would hardly put a dent on the number of migrants crossing illegally, or the underlying factors for mass migration.
—Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, NPR, 10 May 2024
If enacted, this payment would put another dent in UCLA’s athletic budget.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2024
Economic straits, the surging cost of raising a kid, and the deepening childcare crisis have all made a dent in America’s birth rate.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 9 May 2024
This contribution of both affordable and market rate housing would put a major dent in region’s housing shortage, which poses an alarming threat to the county’s economic future and viability.
—Elizabeth Hansburg, Orange County Register, 9 May 2024
Builders are finally making a dent in the state’s housing shortfall, especially for apartments.
—Aldo Svaldi, The Denver Post, 5 May 2024
But the chaos put a dent in their plans for training and recovery ahead of Wednesday’s game.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 5 May 2024
Cons: Can be noisy during rain or hail; initial cost is high; potential for dents.
—Sara Kendall, Miami Herald, 3 May 2024
More affordable models driven partly by falling battery prices could encourage more drivers to make a switch and could even help make a dent in the Biden Administration’s goal of having 50 percent of all new vehicle sales be electric by 2030.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 1 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near dent
Cite this Entry
“Dent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dent. Accessed 14 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dent
1 of 2 verb1
: to make a dent in or on
2
: to become marked by a dent
dent
2 of 2 noun1
: a notch or hollow made by a blow or by pressure
2
a
: an impression or effect made usually against resistance
that purchase made a big dent in our savings
b
: noticeable progress
made a dent in our pile of work
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