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 + inIt'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
Support for small and medium sized businesses on making these changes could really make a dent for the long term.
—
Nancy Doyle, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
Such a program could make a dent in Sacramento’s rising death toll.
—Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 17 Mar. 2025
High-profile eliminations of wasteful spending (some real, others not) won’t make a dent in federal spending.
—Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025
Read Next State Politics Trump’s deportation campaign won’t ‘make a dent,’ Idaho lawmakers say.
—Rose Evans, Idaho Statesman, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for make/put a dent
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Nancy Doyle, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
Such a program could make a dent in Sacramento’s rising death toll.
—Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 17 Mar. 2025
High-profile eliminations of wasteful spending (some real, others not) won’t make a dent in federal spending.
—Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025
Read Next State Politics Trump’s deportation campaign won’t ‘make a dent,’ Idaho lawmakers say.
—Rose Evans, Idaho Statesman, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for make/put a dent
Cite this Entry
“Make/put a dent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make%2Fput%20a%20dent. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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