indent

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

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verb (used with object)

to form deep recesses in: The sea indents the coast.

to set in or back from the margin, as the first line of a paragraph.

to sever (a document drawn up in duplicate) along an irregular line as a means of identification.

to cut or tear the edge of (copies of a document) in an irregular way.

to make toothlike notches in; notch.

to indenture, as an apprentice.

British. to draw an order upon.

Chiefly British. to order, as commodities.

verb (used without object)

to form a recess.

Chiefly British. to make out an order or requisition in duplicate.

Obsolete.

to draw upon a person or thing for something.
to enter into an agreement by indenture; make a compact.

noun

a toothlike notch or deep recess; indentation.

an indention.

an indenture.

American History. a certificate issued by a state or the federal government at the close of the Revolutionary War for the principal or interest due on the public debt.

British. a requisition for stores.

Nearby words

Origin of indent

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

[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

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

Examples from the Web for indent

The firths of Forth and Clyde indent the country very deeply on the east and west, almost dividing it into two parts.
Battles of English History|H. B. (Hereford Brooke) George
Some days we slope arms by numbers; and other days we clean dixies and indent for new boots.
Punch or the London Charivari, Vol. 147, December 9, 1914|Various
Small streams empty into all of the numerous deep water gulfs and bays that indent the north coast of Oriente.
The History of Cuba, vol. 5|Willis Fletcher Johnson
Drop down a few more lines before you begin with the text, and indent about an inch for the beginning of each paragraph.
If You Don't Write Fiction|Charles Phelps Cushing

He made a copy of the indent in triplicate, as well as an office copy.
In Mesopotamia|Martin Swayne

British Dictionary definitions for indent

indent

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

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

indent

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."

indent

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of indent

indent

verb (used with object)

noun

Origin of indent

Examples from the Web for indent

indent

verb (ɪnˈdɛnt) (mainly tr)

noun (ˈɪnˌdɛnt)

Word Origin for indent

verb (ɪnˈdɛnt)

noun (ˈɪnˌdɛnt)

Word Origin for indent

indent