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Noun
The concert loads of second-seat wind and brass players — who, by dint of their roles, are contracted for more services than even principal players — led the orchestra to allow those musicians to take more youth concerts off than their peers.—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026 In this telling, Bessette (Sarah Pidgeon) is an ambitious but kind and free-spirited young woman who, by dint of great personal style and excellent customer sense, leapfrogged from sweater-folding mall retail to the headquarters of Calvin Klein.—Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2026
Verb
But as similar fights play out in battleground states, including Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona, and Michigan, repeated complaints about fraud could dint public faith in the electoral process.—Max Thornberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 3 July 2024 Then he was moved to the second unit, which seemed to dint his confidence.—Patrick Murray, Forbes, 23 May 2021 See All Example Sentences for dint
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