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

See Examples For:

make a dent in

Some Brick users have taken to public forums to say the device didn’t make a dent in their phone habits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

Murphy’s fellow representative, Democrat Zac Ista, told ProPublica he hadn’t been able to make a dent in this legislature.

From Salon ● Jun. 8, 2026

Wall Street analysts have generally pointed to mid-2027 as the earliest point that increased supply could make a dent in high demand driven by artificial intelligence.

From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026

In other words, eliminating all of this overspending, even if that were possible, wouldn’t make a dent in total spending.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 29, 2026

My chewed-up leaves and ointment won't make a dent in it.

From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---