dent
1 of 5verb
ˈdent 
dented; denting; dents
transitive verb
1
: to make a dent in
dent a car
2
: to have a weakening effect on
intransitive verb
: to form a dent by sinking inward : become dented
dent
2 of 5noun (1)
1
: a depression or hollow made by a blow or by pressure
2
: an appreciable impression or effect often made against resistance
hasn't made a dent in the problem
specifically : a weakening or lessening effect
costs that have made a dent in the budget
dent
3 of 5noun (2)
: tooth sense 2a
dent
4 of 5abbreviation
dental; dentist; dentistry
dent-
5 of 5combining form
variants or denti- or dento-
: tooth : teeth
dentiform
Synonyms
Verb
- abate
- de-escalate
- decrease
- deplete
- diminish
- downscale
- downsize
- drop
- dwindle
- ease
- knock down
- lessen
- lower
- reduce
Noun (1)
- cavity
- concavity
- depression
- dint
- hole
- hollow
- indentation
- indenture
- pit
- recess
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb I'm afraid I dented the wall pretty badly when I was hammering in that nail. Many of the cans were badly dented. Some types of metal dent more easily than others. The team's confidence has been dented by a recent series of losses.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English, short for indenten to make dents in, indent
Noun (2)
French, literally, tooth, from Latin dent-, dens
Combining form
Middle English denti-, from Latin, from dent-, dens tooth — more at tooth
First Known Use
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Noun (1)
1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun (2)
1703, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing dent
Kids Definition
dent 1 of 2
verb
ˈdent
dented; denting
1
: to make a hollow mark in or on
I dented my car.
2
: to become damaged by a hollow mark
dent
2 of 2noun
: a notch or hollow mark made in a surface by a blow or by pressure
Medical Definition
dent
abbreviation
dental; dentist; dentistry
Biographical Definition
Dent
biographical name
ˈdent
Joseph Mal*a*by ˈma-lə-bē 1849–1926 English publisher
1849–1926 English publisher denting
verb
as in reducing
to make smaller in amount, volume, or extent hopefully this vacation won't dent our bank account too much Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- reducing
- decreasing
- lowering
- depleting
- diminishing
- lessening
- minimizing
- slashing
- easing
- cutting
- dropping
- downsizing
- dwindling
- abating
- compressing
- nicking
- curtailing
- shrinking
- downscaling
- paring
- trimming
- contracting
- knocking down
- retrenching
- truncating
- deflating
- modifying
- condensing
- de-escalating
- clipping
- shortening
- whittling
- cropping
- constricting
- modulating
- pruning
- cutting down
- docking
- abridging
- abbreviating
- moderating
- cutting back
- qualifying
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- increasing
- expanding
- augmenting
- enlarging
- raising
- boosting
- amplifying
- inflating
- escalating
- extending
- swelling
- prolonging
- dilating
- lengthening
- supplementing
- enhancing
- adding (to)
- complementing
- intensifying
- distending
- heightening
- aggrandizing
- blowing up
- elongating
- protracting
- redoubling