by dint of

Idioms  

1. By means of, as in By dint of hard work he got his degree in three years. The word dint, which survives only in this expression, originally meant “a stroke or blow,” and by the late 1500s signified the force behind such a blow. The current term preserves the implication of vigorous or persistent means.

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Example Sentences

“Home Alone” certainly made Culkin a star, which was its intention, and O’Hara, by dint of John Hughes’ characterization, an able partner.

From Salon • Feb. 4, 2026

Simply by dint of their tablet-like heft, dictionaries make a claim for longevity and authority.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

And yet, Bradford says, “There is a responsibility with this being an educational institution,” with which Smith is now affiliated by dint of his title.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 3, 2023

For the rest, the King - merely by dint of being the King - created an emotive field around him which had the parliamentarians, Republicans all, in raptures.

From BBC • Sep. 21, 2023

And so, by dint of alternate coaxing and commanding, he contrived to get them all once more enclosed in their separate dormitories.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë