dent
noun
a hollow or depression in a surface, as from a blow.
dent
1 American
[dent]
/ dɛnt /
noun
-
a hollow or depression in a surface, as from a blow.
-
a noticeable effect, especially of reduction.
to leave a dent in one's savings;
a dent in one's pride.
verb (used with object)
-
dents,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dented,
past participle, past
-
denting
present participle
-
to make a dent in or on; indent.
The impact dented the car's fender.
-
to have the effect of reducing or slightly injuring.
The caustic remark dented his ego.
verb (used without object)
-
dents,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dented,
past participle, past
-
denting
present participle
-
to show dents; become indented.
Tin dents more easily than steel.
-
to sink in, making a dent.
Nails dent into metal.
idioms
-
make a dent in, to show initial progress; pass an initial stage of (work, thought, solving a problem, etc.).
I haven't even made a dent in this pile of work.
-
make a dent, to cause a person to take heed; make an impression.
The doctor told him to stop smoking, but it didn't make a dent.
dent
2
American
[dent]
/ dɛnt /
noun
-
a toothlike projection, as a tooth of a gearwheel.
-
Textiles. the space between two wires through which the warp ends are drawn in the reed of a loom.
dent-
3
American
dent.
4
American
abbreviation
-
dental.
-
dentist.
-
dentistry.
dent
1
British
/ dɛnt /
noun
-
a hollow or dip in a surface, as one made by pressure or a blow
-
an appreciable effect, esp of lessening
a dent in our resources
verb
dent
2
British
/ dɛnt /
noun
-
a toothlike protuberance, esp the tooth of a sprocket or gearwheel
-
textiles the space between two wires in a loom through which a warp thread is drawn
dent.
3
British
abbreviation
-
dental
-
dentistry
dent
More Idioms
Usage
What does dent- mean? Dent- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “tooth.” It is used in some medical and scientific terms, including in dentistry. Dent- comes from the Latin dēns, meaning “tooth.” Greek words for “tooth” are odṓn, source of the combining forms odonto- and -odont, and odoús, source of the combining form -odus. The word dent, as in "a hollow or depression in a surface," does not share a root with the combining form dent-. Learn where dent comes from at our entry for the word. What are variants of dent-?Dent- is a variant of dento-, which loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use dento- article. Another, more common, variant of dent-, especially before a form with a Latin root, is denti-, as in dentiform.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
dentsimple
-
dentssimple
-
have dentedperfect
-
has dentedperfect
-
am dentingprogressive
-
are dentingprogressive
-
is dentingprogressive
-
have been dentingperfect progressive
-
has been dentingperfect progressive
Past
-
dentedsimple
-
had dentedperfect
-
was dentingprogressive
-
were dentingprogressive
-
had been dentingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dent1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English dint, dent, dunt “blow of a weapon; stroke of a sword”; see origin at dint
Origin of dent2
First recorded in 1545–55; from Middle French, from Latin dent- (stem of dēns ) tooth
Explanation
A dent is a gouge or hollow that's left in a surface after some kind of blow. If you hit a soup pot with a hammer, it will leave a dent. Car accidents, whether they're serious or just fender benders, often result in dents. If you fall off your bike, you may get a dent in your helmet, and a mishandled package might be delivered to your door full of dents. There's also a figurative kind of dent, a reduction in amount: "You barely made a dent in that oatmeal — aren't you hungry?" Dent comes from Middle English, originally a variation on dint, "a blow dealt in fighting."
Vocabulary lists containing dent
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
That debate shouldn’t put much of a dent in Anthropic’s revenue trajectory, given its rise is being fueled by corporate customers that aren’t likely to press pause on AI soon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Antonelli is expected easily to get back into the top six or so, but that would still allow Russell to make a substantial dent in his advantage.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
Temporary Protected Status ended for about 350,000 Haitians at the end of July, which could dent the employment figures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
The last time job creation was that weak was at the start of the year, when an unusually harsh winter and a post-holiday lull put a dent in hiring.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
And then he catches sight of the crushed fender and the dent on the hood.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
“A thousand dollars is not going to make a dent. But it’s a good amount to buy something like furniture.”
From Seattle Times ● May 10, 2024
“Probably. I don’t think it would really make a dent. Back in Georgia everybody we knew had an automobile.”
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Even Tyrell had to admit, “No, I don’t think there was a dent. But they wouldn’t let us get off the bus to look. And we had to sit and wait forever.”
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
The iconic desert cruiser turns out to be just a chunk of rubber and metal with believable scratches and dents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Flock has 120,000 cameras in 49 states that capture 20 billion license plates a month—along with dents, bumper stickers and other identifying features, reports Kris Maher.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Four police vans in Therberton Street, Islington were left with dents and broken lights.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
Although those are only small dents in the huge gains the two companies have racked up in recent months, they are signs of some nervousness around AI hardware plays.
From Barron's ● May 18, 2026
“You should be more careful,” said Fink as he checked out the robot’s new scrapes and dents.
From "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown
The country's supply chains are "very flexible", and its historic boom in exports has not been significantly dented by tariffs so far, she noted.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
On a monthly basis, the gauge dropped 0.13%, signaling dented household confidence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Big Ten revenue has dented the deficit, according to budget figures obtained by the California Post, but the expense of fielding competitive teams in all sports is soaring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
For now, the ongoing turmoil has dented the group's brand image, say experts.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
So what if he buys the discounted cans of dented tomatoes at the grocery store?
From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King
The European Central Bank is widely expected to raise its key interest rate after a two-day meeting starting Wednesday, trying to push down inflation without denting economic growth.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
"I think there is a different lacquer. They were worried about it going out of shape. They are denting surfaces more."
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
Energy infrastructure in the region has also been hit, denting supplies over the near term.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Europe's beleaguered top economy, especially its energy-hungry manufacturers, have been hit hard by the energy shock unleashed by the war, denting hopes of a strong rebound this year.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
She remembered running, tripping over the billiard cue, falling down the stairs, denting Sandy's flask, and dropping everything else.
From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
