1
as in hole
a sunken area forming a separate space
there was a big dent in the car's hood where something had hit it
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decrease
the amount by which something is lessened
a little belt-tightening would at least make a small dent in our credit-card debt
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to reduce
to make smaller in amount, volume, or extent
hopefully this vacation won't dent our bank account too much
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of dent
Longreads, 18 Dec. 2024
If there’s been a dent in Lankinen’s armour all season, too, it’s been his save rate off of relatively low-danger chances, something the Pietrangelo goal served to highlight.
—Thomas Drance, The Athletic, 20 Dec. 2024
Brett Owens, Forbes, 1 Dec. 2024
The car is dinged and dented, and the paint is chipping off the nose.
—Raphael Orlove, Robb Report, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dent 
Noun
The incident was nothing short of perverse: Israel targeted and killed people trying to make a dent in the imminent famine that Israel itself has engineered as part of its strategy to demoralize and destroy, in whole or in part*, the Palestinian population.
—Longreads, 18 Dec. 2024
If there’s been a dent in Lankinen’s armour all season, too, it’s been his save rate off of relatively low-danger chances, something the Pietrangelo goal served to highlight.
—Thomas Drance, The Athletic, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
The new department of government efficiency (DOGE) won’t dent the current fiscal deficit, which is an all-timer.
—Brett Owens, Forbes, 1 Dec. 2024
The car is dinged and dented, and the paint is chipping off the nose.
—Raphael Orlove, Robb Report, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dent
Noun
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The pieces vary in size and shape; a few have small holes cut in them.Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 13 Jan. 2025
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Some holes can’t be filled, and no writer, no matter how skilled, can return their subject to anything truly resembling life.Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2025
Noun
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According to TfL, ridership across the network remains at 90% of pre-pandemic levels — such a decrease may not be entirely unwelcome for the commuters who remain, given overcrowding caused frequent delays.Nicole Kobie, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
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About 22,000 fewer Californians were unemployed during this period, a decrease from 5.4 percent to 5.3 percent.Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Tailor For Expense Reduction Messaging When crafting your capabilities statement, customize it to showcase how your business can help agencies reduce costs: • Use metrics to quantify savings from previous contracts.Col. Rafael Marrero, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
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And the disaster has exposed holes in the region's preparations to reduce the chances of fires getting so unmanageable and to keep communities safer.Lauren Sommer, NPR, 15 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Little ones can frolic in the Snow Bounce room or in a pit of fake snowballs in the Northern Lights section, where representations of the aurora borealis drift above.The New York Times, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
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Tens of thousands exposed in Iraq, Afghanistan Disposing of trash in open-air burn pits was a common practice, especially at U.S. bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, which together burned trash in more than 270 pits in 2010, according to an estimate by the U.S. Defense Department's Central Command.Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2025
Noun
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But the wildfires in L.A. have lent a new sense of urgency to efforts by the firefighter union, to argue that any reductions at the department could pose disastrous consequences.Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2025
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With only three of four tubes available for the next few years, there will be a 25% reduction in Penn Station access and capacity.Larry Penner, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Educational Campaigns: Promoting oral hygiene and nutrition among families can effectively address cavity prevention.Maria Sokolina, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
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Ependymal cells line the spinal cord and the brain’s ventricles, the cavities that produce and store CSF, and are essential for maintaining a stable environment in these structures, ensuring that neurons and other cells function optimally.New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Jan. 2025
Noun
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That compares with a bigger drop of 3.9% in November and 2.3% in October.Anniek Bao, CNBC, 13 Jan. 2025
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During the fight, four drops from the pitcher fell on Earth, in Prayagraj, Nashik, Haridwar and Ujjain, which host the festival in rotation.Aishwarya S Iyer, CNN, 12 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Luminate’s data revealed that the minutes watched of certain programs like Receiver, the follow-up to Quarterback, and season two of Full Swing had sharp declines.Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 14 Jan. 2025
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Revenues from services and fees increased by $17.7 million, driven by growth in the Capital Markets and Financial Consulting segments, while the Communications segment saw a decline.Quartz Bot, Quartz, 14 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near dent
Cite this Entry
“Dent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dent. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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