dent

1 of 5

verb

ˈdent 

dented; denting; dents

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

dent

2 of 5

noun (1)

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

dent

3 of 5

noun (2)

: tooth sense 2a

dent

4 of 5

abbreviation

dental; dentist; dentistry

dent-

5 of 5

combining form

variants or denti- or dento-

: tooth : teeth

dentiform

Synonyms of dent

Verb

• reduce
• decrease
• lower

Noun (1)

• hole
• pit
• cavity

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

Verb

Bank stocks — Banks fell as rising tensions in the Middle East dented sentiment around global markets and the economy. —Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 2 Mar. 2026

Must Iran also agree to curb its proxies in the region — severely dented by recent Israeli and US military action, and the fall of the Assad regime in Syria in late 2024? —Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 26 Feb. 2026

Noun

The report also said there could be a huge dent in consumer spending. —Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 28 Feb. 2026

Maddie Brown scored the Tommies’ final goal of the winter midway through the second period, but her tally barely made a dent in the mighty titan’s armor. —Staff Report, Twin Cities, 28 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

Noun (2)

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

Combining form

Middle English denti-, from Latin, from dent-, dens tooth — more at tooth

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (1)

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1703, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing dent

• dent corn
• make/put a dent

Rhymes for dent

• bent
• blent
• cent
• ent
• fent
• lent
• meant
• pent
• rent
• rente
• scent
• sent

Kids Definition

dent

1 of 2 verb

ˈdent 

1

: to make a dent in or on

2

: to become marked by a dent

dent

2 of 2 noun

1

: 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

Medical Definition

dent

abbreviation

dental; dentist; dentistry

Biographical Definition

Dent

biographical name

ˈdent 

Joseph Mal*a*by ˈma-lə-bē  1849–1926 English publisher