make/put a dent

idiom

: to decrease something slightly or to make something somewhat weaker

We tried our best to fix the problem, but nothing we did seems to have made a dent.

—often + in

It's going to take more than a new law to make a dent in the city's drug crime.

a vacation that won't put too big a dent in your wallet

Examples of make/put a dent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There are simply not enough possible discretionary, non-defense domestic spending cuts to make a dent in the debt. —Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 19 Jan. 2025

If the label was truly out to torpedo Drake’s career to gain a negotiation advantage, those percentage drops don’t seem significant enough to make a dent. —Bill Hochberg, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025

Even so, reforms have failed to make a dent in the state's production problems. —Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025

Dreo ChefMaker Most known for its portable space heaters and fans, Dreo is beginning to make a dent in the kitchen appliance market. —Andrew Watman, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025