dint

[dint]

noun

1. force; power.

   By dint of hard work she became head of the company.

   Synonyms: struggle, exertion, strain, effort

2. a dent.

3. Archaic.,  a blow; stroke.

verb (used with object)

1. to make a dent or dents in.

2. to impress or drive in with force.

dint

/ dɪnt /

noun

1. by means or use of

   by dint of hard work

2. archaic,  a blow or a mark made by a blow

verb

1. (tr) to mark with dints

noun

1. a variant of dent 1

Other Word Forms

• dintless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dint¹

before 900; Middle English; Old English dynt; cognate with Old Norse dyntr

Word History and Origins

Origin of dint¹

Old English dynt; related to Old Norse dyttr blow

Idioms and Phrases

see by dint of.

Example Sentences

Mr. Harkins insists that he is “not really special,” but he can be said to speak for his fellow officers by dint of family history.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

By dint of pandemic pauses and far-flung locales around the U.K.’s Cotswolds and on the Welsh Borders, the lineup managed to quietly ferment and realize some of that long-ago unknown magical mystery.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Jack eventually befriends the upstart political populist Willie Stark, who, by dint of his will and eloquent diatribes against the wealthy establishment, is elected governor.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Yet by dint of personality alone, Son immediately lightened the mood.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

There have been upsets in the past - fans of Rage Against the Machine's Killing in the Name put a small-but-welcome dint in the X Factor monopoly in 2009.

Read more on BBC