make a dent in

Idioms  

1. Begin to accomplish or consume something, as in I've barely made a dent in this pile of correspondence, or Help us put a dent in this pie. This metaphoric expression alludes to striking a blow to make a physical indentation in something.

---

Example Sentences

CAR-T treatments have been a cancer breakthrough, and are beginning to make a dent in aut0-immune disorders like lupus and multiple sclerosis.

From Barron's

The cash drain, though, has started to make a dent in those companies’ balance sheets, offering a preview of a potentially more drastic reshaping of their respective businesses if AI expenditures keep growing.

From The Wall Street Journal

However that hasn’t been enough to make a dent in the broader labor market, experts say.

From Barron's

The Amazon and UPS job reductions, as large as they seem, would barely make a dent in jobless claims.

From MarketWatch

Amazon, for instance, also reduced its workforce by 27,000 employees in 2022 — but those layoffs didn’t make a dent in weekly jobless claims.

From MarketWatch