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
Reuters, CNN, 2 Nov. 2024
The surge in the past two weeks has seen Chinese equities reassert their influence over broader emerging-market gauges, and dented the performance of fund managers who had been running underweight positions in the biggest developing-nation economy.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2024
Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Orange County Register, 5 Nov. 2024
But the market has been able to grow and mature so much that now law enforcement action against even one part of it is unlikely to make any lasting dent in the spread of infostealers.
—Joseph Cox, WIRED, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dent 
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Verb
Insurance underwriting profit fell 69%, dented by rising claims, $565 million of losses from Helene, and a bankruptcy court settlement related to defunct talc supplier Whittaker Clark & Daniels.
—Reuters, CNN, 2 Nov. 2024
The surge in the past two weeks has seen Chinese equities reassert their influence over broader emerging-market gauges, and dented the performance of fund managers who had been running underweight positions in the biggest developing-nation economy.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2024
Noun
While Democrats hope to hold it, Republicans are looking to flip it, making a slight dent into the Democratic supermajority in Sacramento.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Orange County Register, 5 Nov. 2024
But the market has been able to grow and mature so much that now law enforcement action against even one part of it is unlikely to make any lasting dent in the spread of infostealers.
—Joseph Cox, WIRED, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dent
Dictionary Entries Near dent
Cite this Entry
“Dent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dent. Accessed 29 Nov. 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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