What does "stint" mean?
A period of time spent doing or being something; a spell.
Stint
/stɪnt/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A period of time spent doing or being something; a spell.
- Grammar: stint is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: allocation, allotment, allowance, amount.
- Useful contrasts: avoid work, endless duration, evade duty.
- Usage evidence: I met her during my stint there.
How to use "stint"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "stint" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "stint" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "stint" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "stint" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "stint" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "allocation" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "stint", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A period of time spent doing or being something; a spell.
"He had a stint in jail."
- 2 Any of several very small wading birds in the genus Calidris. Types of sandpiper, such as the dunlin or the sanderling.
- 3 Misspelling of stent (“medical device”). alt-of, misspelling
- 4 an individual's prescribed share of work wordnet
- 5 Limit; bound; restraint; extent.
"God has wrote upon no created thing the utmost stint of his power."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 smallest American sandpiper wordnet
- 7 Quantity or task assigned; proportion allotted.
"Jack bovv'd and vvas oblig'd—confeſs'd 'tvvas ſtrange / That ſo retir'd he ſhould not vviſh a change, / But knevv no medium betvveen guzzling beer, / And his old stint—three thouſand pounds a year."
- 8 an unbroken period of time during which you do something wordnet
- 9 A part of the race between two consecutive pit stops.
"That left Maldonado with a 6.2-second lead. Alonso closed in throughout their third stints, getting the gap down to 4.2secs before Maldonado stopped for the final time on lap 41."
Verb
- 1 To stop (an action); cease, desist. archaic, intransitive
"We mon haue payne that neuer shall stynt"
- 2 supply sparingly and with restricted quantities wordnet
- 3 To stop speaking or talking (of a subject). intransitive, obsolete
- 4 subsist on a meager allowance wordnet
- 5 To be sparing or mean. intransitive
"The next party you throw, don't stint on the beer."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 To restrain within certain limits; to bound; to restrict to a scant allowance. transitive
"I shall not in the least go about to extenuate the Latitude of it: or to stint it only to the Produćtion of Weeds, of Thorns, Thisiles, and other the less useful Kinds of Plants"
- 7 To assign a certain task to (a person), upon the performance of which he/she is excused from further labour for that day or period; to stent.
- 8 To impregnate successfully; to get with foal.
"The majority of maiden mares will become stinted while at work."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
avoid workendless durationevade dutyexcess resources
Example
"I met her during my stint there."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "stint"?
Common synonyms include: allocation, allotment, allowance, amount, anchor watch, apportionment.
How do you use "stint" in a sentence?
I met her during my stint there.
How do you pronounce "stint"?
Pronounced /stɪnt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English stinten, from Old English styntan (“to make blunt”) and *stintan (attested in āstintan (“to make dull, stint, assuage”)), from Proto-West Germanic *stuntijan, from Proto-Germanic *stuntijaną and Proto-Germanic *stintaną (“to make short”), probably influenced in some senses by cognate Old Norse *stynta, stytta (“to make short, shorten”).
Etymology 2
Origin unknown.