indentation

American  

[in-den-tay-shuhn] / ˌɪn dɛnˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

• indentations
  plural

1. a cut, notch, or deep recess.

   various bays and indentations.

2. a series of incisions or notches.

   the indentation of a maple leaf.

3. a notching or being notched.

4. indention.

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indentation British  

/ ˌɪndɛnˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. a hollowed, notched, or cut place, as on an edge or on a coastline

2. a series of hollows, notches, or cuts

3. the act of indenting or the condition of being indented

4. Also called: indention, indent. the leaving of space or the amount of space left between a margin and the start of an indented line

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indentation Cultural  

1. A space left between the left-hand margin of a line of type or handwriting and the beginning of a sentence or quotation. The beginning of a paragraph is usually indented.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• indentations
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of indentation

First recorded in 1715–25; indent ¹ + -ation

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Explanation

An indentation is a notch, cut, or dent in something. If you take a hammer to a piece of metal, you will make a series of indentations. The dent in indentation shares a root with your dentist, and an indentation is basically like a tooth mark. Except some "teeth" are larger than others — a meteorite leaves a huge indentation in the ground, just as a sharp pencil could make a tiny indentation in your finger. You can talk about conceptual indentation, too. Loving the novel Anna Karenina might make an indentation in your general aversion to reading. It’s that’s good.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

indentation indentations

Samsung worked to make this indentation less visible when the screen is completely flat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

The researchers then tested the jaws using several indentation depths.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026

Rachel suggested the indentation in her abdomen might have been an ovarian cyst, and a doctor agreed but took no further action.

From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2026

For air-fried burgers, flatten your patties as much as possible and press an indentation in the center to prevent them from puffing up.

From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2025

Their boat was beached on an indentation in the marsh which provided a natural landing.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Nervous consumers are also avoiding berries and herbs, which have indentations that can trap microscopic parasites, though they haven’t been implicated in the recent outbreak.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Kinter and Roberts said the indentations are streambeds that their Patwin ancestors committed to memory for when they needed water.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2024

He mostly cut freehand, sometimes using indentations he made with his fingernails as outlines, then dyed his creations with green, pink, red and yellow pigments.

From New York Times ● Mar. 20, 2024

Ocean Spray cranberry sauce, coaxed out of the can with its ringed indentations intact.

From Salon ● Nov. 23, 2023

I practically choke on my own saliva—the lines, edges, and indentations of my palm pattern are now crackling orange, like embers on a grill.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

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