dint

American  

[dint] / dɪnt /

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.

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verb (used with object)

1. to make a dent or dents in.

2. to impress or drive in with force.

dint British  

/ dɪnt /

noun

1. by means or use of

   by dint of hard work

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

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verb

1. (tr) to mark with dints

noun

1. a variant of dent 1

dint Idioms  

1. see by dint of.

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Other Word Forms

• dintless adjective

Etymology

Origin of dint

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

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.

From 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.

From 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.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

From 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.

From BBC