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

The County knows the issue needs to be addressed, and through the project – which will provide a 12-unit building for families experiencing homelessness and housing instability – the hope is to make a dent in those numbers. —Alex Malm, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025

But these policies hardly put a dent in consumption. —Rodney Coates, The Conversation, 27 Jan. 2025

Friendly outings put a dent in your budget as the moon and Venus clash. —USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2025

Financial penalties wouldn’t put a dent in the company’s bottom line, John Solvie, a Clark County water quality compliance manager, told county Public Works Director Denis Cederburg in an email. —Daniel Rothberg, ProPublica, 8 Jan. 2025