Dent

name, noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A village and civil parish in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England, previously in South Lakeland district (OS grid ref SD7086). countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    A surname. countable, uncountable
Noun
  1. 1
    A shallow deformation in the surface of an object, produced by an impact.

    "The crash produced a dent in the left side of the car."

  2. 2
    A tooth, as of a card, a gear wheel, etc.
  3. 3
    an impression in a surface (as made by a blow) wordnet
  4. 4
    A minor effect made upon something. figuratively

    "to make a dent"

  5. 5
    A slot or a wire in a reed
Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    an appreciable consequence (especially a lessening) wordnet
  2. 7
    A type of maize/corn with a relatively soft outer hull, and a soft type of starch that shrinks at maturity to leave an indentation in the surface of the kernel.
  3. 8
    a depression scratched or carved into a surface wordnet
  4. 9
    A sudden negative change, such as loss, damage, weakening, consumption or diminution, especially one produced by an external force, event or action broadly, informal

    "That purchase put a bit of a dent in my wallet."

Verb
  1. 1
    To impact something, producing a dent. transitive
  2. 2
    make a depression into wordnet
  3. 3
    To develop a dent or dents. intransitive

    "Copper is soft and dents easily."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English dent, dente, dint (“a blow; strike; dent”), from Old English dynt (“blow, strike, the mark or noise of a blow”), from Proto-Germanic *duntiz (“a blow”). Akin to Old Norse dyntr (“dint”). Doublet of dint.

Etymology 2

From Middle English dent, dente, dint (“a blow; strike; dent”), from Old English dynt (“blow, strike, the mark or noise of a blow”), from Proto-Germanic *duntiz (“a blow”). Akin to Old Norse dyntr (“dint”). Doublet of dint.

Etymology 3

From French dent, from Latin dēns, dentis (“tooth”). Doublet of dens and tooth.

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