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definitions

indent

1
[verb in-dent; noun in-dent, in-dent]
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verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Origin of indent

1
1350–1400; Middle English; back formation from indented having toothlike notches, Middle English < Medieval Latin indentātus, equivalent to Latin in- in-2 + dentātus dentate; see -ed2
Related formsin·dent·er, in·den·tor, noun

indent

2
[verb in-dent; noun in-dent, in-dent]

verb (used with object)

to dent; press in so as to form a dent: to indent a pattern on metal.
to make or form a dent in: The wooden stairs had been indented by horses' hooves.

noun

a dent.

Origin of indent

2
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at in-2, dent1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for indent

pink, depress, cut, dent, serrate, mark, hollow, nick, score, bash, dint, jag, notch, pit, rut, scallop, rabbet

Examples from the Web for indent

Historical Examples of indent

  • He made a copy of the indent in triplicate, as well as an office copy.

    In Mesopotamia

    Martin Swayne

  • And 'e told the orderly to indent me for a brand new uniform.

    The Red Horizon

    Patrick MacGill

  • They are very cautious sailors, and on the least sign of foul weather they run into one of the creeks which indent the coast.

    Asiatic Breezes

    Oliver Optic

  • Ay, wisdom is justified o' her children; an' any other man than me wad ha' made the indent eight hunder.

  • Well, I was just making up an indent, and might as well include your specific if you really needed it.

British Dictionary definitions for indent

indent

1

verb (ɪnˈdɛnt) (mainly tr)

to place (written or printed matter, etc) in from the margin, as at the beginning of a paragraph
to cut or tear (a document, esp a contract or deed in duplicate) so that the irregular lines may be matched to confirm its authenticity
mainly British (in foreign trade) to place an order for (foreign goods), usually through an agent
(when intr, foll by for, on, or upon) mainly British to make an order on (a source or supply) or for (something)
to notch (an edge, border, etc); make jagged
to bind (an apprentice, etc) by indenture

noun (ˈɪnˌdɛnt)

mainly British (in foreign trade) an order for foreign merchandise, esp one placed with an agent
mainly British an official order for goods
(in the late 18th-century US) a certificate issued by federal and state governments for the principal or interest due on the public debt
another word for indenture
another word for indentation (def. 4)
Derived Formsindenter or indentor, noun

Word Origin for indent

C14: from Old French endenter, from en- 1 + dent tooth, from Latin dēns

indent

2

verb (ɪnˈdɛnt)

(tr) to make a dent or depression in

noun (ˈɪnˌdɛnt)

a dent or depression

Word Origin for indent

C15: from in- ² + dent 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for indent
v.

early 15c., indenten/endenten "to make notches; to give (something) a toothed or jagged appearance," also "to make a legal indenture," from Old French endenter "to notch or dent, give a serrated edge to," from Medieval Latin indentare "to furnish with teeth," from in- "into, in, on, upon" (see in- (2)) + Latin dens (genitive dentis) "tooth" (see tooth). Related: Indented; indenting. The printing sense is first attested 1670s. The noun is first recorded 1590s, from the verb. An earlier noun sense of "a written agreement" (late 15c.) is described in Middle English Dictionary as "scribal abbrev. of endenture."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper