dent

¹dent

verb \ˈdent\

Definition of DENT

transitive verb

1

: to make a dent in <dent a car>

2

: to have a weakening effect on

intransitive verb

: to form a dent by sinking inward : become dented

Examples of DENT

1. I'm afraid I dented the wall pretty badly when I was hammering in that nail.
2. Many of the cans were badly dented.
3. Some types of metal dent more easily than others.
4. The team's confidence has been dented by a recent series of losses.

Origin of DENT

Middle English, short for indenten to make dents in, indent

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to DENT

Synonyms

abate, de-escalate, decrease, deplete, diminish, downscale, downsize, drop, dwindle, ease, knock down, lessen, lower, reduce

Antonyms

aggrandize, amplify, augment, boost, enlarge, escalate, expand, increase, raise

Related Words

compress, condense, constrict, contract; abbreviate, abridge, clip, crop, curtail, cut, cut back, cut down, dock, nick, pare, prune, retrench, shorten, slash, trim, truncate, whittle; deflate, shrink; minimize; moderate, modify, modulate, qualify

Near Antonyms

blow up, dilate, distend, inflate, swell; elongate, extend, lengthen, prolong, protract; add (to), complement, supplement; enhance, heighten, intensify; redouble

Rhymes with DENT

bent, Brent, cent, gent, Ghent, hent, Lent, pent, rent, scent, sent, spent, sprent, stent, tent, Trent, vent

²dent

noun

Definition of DENT

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>

First Known Use of DENT

1565

³dent

noun

Definition of DENT

: tooth 3a

Origin of DENT

French, literally, tooth, from Latin dent-, dens

First Known Use: 1703

⁴dent

abbreviation

Definition of DENT

dental; dentist; dentistry

Dent

biographical name \ˈdent\

Definition of DENT

Joseph Mal*a*by \ˈma-lə-bē\ 1849–1926 Eng. publisher

dent

abbreviation    (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of DENT

dental; dentist; dentistry