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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Another way to make a dent in your taxes is to maximize your retirement savings. —

Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024 Despite the enthusiasm, modular companies have yet to establish significant pipelines of projects, and few are constructing the large apartment complexes that might put a dent in the housing shortage. —

Jacob Posner, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Dec. 2024 Precipitation in West Virginia helped put a dent in the state's worst drought in at least two decades and boosted ski resorts preparing to open their slopes in the weeks ahead. —

CBS News, 24 Nov. 2024 The program is designed to help any qualifying applicants make a dent in their student loan debt. —

Desirae Sin, Hartford Courant, 21 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for make/put a dent

Cite this Entry

Style

“Make/put a dent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make%2Fput%20a%20dent. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation