stint

[ stint ]

/ stɪnt /

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See synonyms for: stint / stinted / stints on Thesaurus.com

Definition of stint

verb (used without object)

to be frugal; get along on a scanty allowance: Don't stint on the food. They stinted for years in order to save money.

Archaic. to cease action; desist.

verb (used with object)

to limit to a certain amount, number, share, or allowance, often unduly; set limits to; restrict.

Archaic. to bring to an end; check.

noun

a period of time spent doing something: a two-year stint in the army.

an allotted amount or piece of work: to do one's daily stint.

limitation or restriction, especially as to amount: to give without stint.

a limited, prescribed, or expected quantity, share, rate, etc.: to exceed one's stint.

Obsolete. a pause; halt.

OTHER WORDS FOR stint

3 confine, restrain.

7 restraint, constraint.

8 allotment, portion.

See synonyms for stint on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of stint

1150–1200; (v.) Middle English stinten,Old English styntan to make blunt, dull; (noun) Middle English, derivative of the v.; cognate with Old Norse stytta to shorten; cf. stunt¹

OTHER WORDS FROM stint

stint·ed·ly, adverbstint·ed·ness, nounstinter, nounstint·ing·ly, adverb

stintless, adjectiveun·stint·ed, adjectiveun·stint·ing, adjectiveun·stint·ing·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH stint

stent, stint

Words nearby stint

stinkweed, stinkwood, stinky, stinky pinky, Stinnes, stint, stipe, stipel, stipend, stipendiary, stipes

Other definitions for stint (2 of 2)

stint²

[ stint ]

/ stɪnt /

noun

any of various small sandpipers of the genus Calidris, as the least sandpiper.

Origin of stint

1425–75; late Middle English stynte< ?

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use stint in a sentence

Two of these deals seemed set to benefit Energy Transfer, the Texas company on whose board Perry served immediately before and after his stint in Washington.
Rick Perry’s Ukrainian Dream|by Simon Shuster, TIME, and Ilya Marritz, WNYC|September 10, 2020|ProPublica
I learned about Butora during a brief stint managing the retail shop of a climbing gym in Colorado in 2016.
Need New Climbing Shoes? Check Out These Small Brands.|Chris Kalman|August 29, 2020|Outside Online
The country had been known for its frequent prime ministerial turnover, but Abe has been in power since 2012 — following a short stint from 2006 to 2007.
Japanese PM Shinzo Abe to resign for health reasons|Axios|August 28, 2020|Axios
She’d done an earlier stint with the city, but most recently, she was director of New York University’s Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy.
Why Rent Control Doesn’t Work (Ep. 373 Rebroadcast)|Stephen J. Dubner|March 12, 2020|Freakonomics

Because if you’re a human being and your stint is going to end in two or three years, you don’t want to be too harsh on the companies that could end up paying you and giving you lots of money later.
Why Is This Man Running for President? (Ep. 362 Update)|Stephen J. Dubner|December 19, 2019|Freakonomics
After a stint with a replacement Head Mistress went sour, R seriously considered shutting down La Domaine for good.
Dungeons and Genital Clamps: Inside a Legendary BDSM Chateau|Ian Frisch|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Alan Gross was in a cheery mood, having survived a grim five-year stint in a Cuban prison.
Castro's Hipster Apologists Want to Keep Cuba ‘Authentically’ Poor|Michael Moynihan|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He said he prefers to forget about his 18-month stint with the Railroad Commission.
Two Texas Regulators Tried to Enforce the Rules. They Were Fired.|David Hasemyer, InsideClimate News|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After a brief stint under house arrest, Al-Thani was back on the art scene within a year, this time only as a private collector.
The Mysterious Death of the Art World’s Favorite Sheikh|Lizzie Crocker|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 2010, President Obama then brought her back for a second stint.
For Next AG, Obama Picks a Quiet Fighter With a Heavy Punch|Michael Daly|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For days after his departure, she had kept solitary; busied with little; indulging in her own sad reflections without stint.
History Of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. I. (of XXI.)|Thomas Carlyle
No small stint I had of it too; for he was peevish and touchy as a young badger.
Left on Labrador|Charles Asbury Stephens
All day without stint and all night long with the sweep of the hissing drift.
Alcyone|Archibald Lampman
In a country where money was all-powerful the power of money was used without stint and without scruple.
The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce|Ambrose Bierce
I didn't stint myself; but a single glass makes one bad enough, so half a bottle was saved every day.
More Tales by Polish Authors|Various

British Dictionary definitions for stint (1 of 2)

stint¹

/ (stɪnt) /

verb

to be frugal or miserly towards (someone) with (something)

archaic to stop or check (something)

noun

an allotted or fixed amount of work

a limitation or check

obsolete a pause or stoppage

Derived forms of stint

stinter, noun

Word Origin for stint

Old English styntan to blunt; related to Old Norse stytta to cut short; see stunt 1

British Dictionary definitions for stint (2 of 2)

stint²

/ (stɪnt) /

noun

any of various small sandpipers of the chiefly northern genus Calidris (or Erolia), such as C. minuta (little stint)

Word Origin for stint

Old English; related to Middle High German stinz small salmon, Swedish dialect stinta teenager; see stunt 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

stint

Definition of stint

OTHER WORDS FOR stint

Origin of stint

OTHER WORDS FROM stint

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH stint

Words nearby stint

Other definitions for stint (2 of 2)

Origin of stint

Words related to stint

How to use stint in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stint (1 of 2)

Derived forms of stint

Word Origin for stint

British Dictionary definitions for stint (2 of 2)

Word Origin for stint