dint

1 of 2

noun

1
2
3
archaic : blow, stroke

dint

2 of 2

verb

dinted; dinting; dints

transitive verb

1
: to make a dent in
2
: to impress or drive in with force
Phrases
by dint of
: by force of : because of
succeeded by dint of hard work

Examples of dint in a Sentence

Noun left a small dint in the car's fender
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Prisoners facing execution are not patients by dint of a physician standing by. Joel B. Zivot, STAT, 26 Feb. 2024 At one point, a dancer seems to walk on air, by dint of being sandwiched between, and supported by, two larger castmates. Celia Wren, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024 Jackson also suggests—as the keenest observers of American life never fail to do—that the white world might be even more mass-produced and lacking in originality by dint of its privilege. Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2024 And yet, by dint of where the show is taking place, that spiritualism is invited. Vanessa Friedman and Max Lakin, New York Times, 20 Oct. 2023 All politicians are performers of one sort or another, the lucky ones by dint of natural gifts. Peter Marks, Washington Post, 23 June 2023 Elist told me that what his critics failed to grasp, whether by dint of envy or closed mindedness, was that for every dissatisfied customer there were many more whose lives had improved immeasurably. Ava Kofman, ProPublica, 26 June 2023 On their own merit, and by dint of their unique ecosystems and plant and animal species that exist nowhere else, the islands were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978, one of the first such locations to earn that distinction. Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 22 May 2023 Lisa Kennedy wrote in her review for Variety that Schwartzman sometimes focused more on de Leon than the systemic issues at hand, which gave the director a lens into the issue only by dint of another journalist. Sophia Scorziello, Variety, 27 Apr. 2023
Verb
Then he was moved to the second unit, which seemed to dint his confidence. Patrick Murray, Forbes, 23 May 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dint.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English dynt; akin to Old Norse dyntr noise

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dint was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near dint

Cite this Entry

“Dint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dint. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dint

1 of 2 noun
1
: the force or power of something
used chiefly in the phrase by dint of
succeeded by dint of hard work
2

dint

2 of 2 verb
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!