dent

dent — noun

1. a shallow, bowl-shaped hollow pressed into a hard surface by a sudden impact or

1.nounB1
Definition

a shallow, bowl-shaped hollow pressed into a hard surface by a sudden impact or by steady force over a small area

Example

Lan found a small dent in his new car after the parking lot incident.

collocation: small dent / find a dent

The hailstorm left several deep dents across the metal roof of the old barn.

collocation: deep dent / leave a dent

Common collocations
  • deep dent
  • small dent
  • large dent
  • dent in the side
  • leave a dent
  • make a dent
Synonyms
  • indentation

    more formal, broader term for any inward curve

  • ding

    informal, used mainly for small marks on metal or vehicles

  • dimple

    small, natural, or attractive hollow, not accidental damage

Antonyms
  • bump

    a raised area, opposite of an indentation

  • bulge

    an outward swelling on a surface

Grammar Patterns

a dent (in something)

Usage Note

A dent is always an indentation (inward curve), not a raised bump. Use 'dent' for accidental damage; 'dimple' for small, intentional, or attractive hollows.

Common Mistakes

The car has a dented on the door.
The car has a dent on the door.
'dented' is an adjective; 'dent' is the noun.

2. a noticeable reduction in an amount, supply, or resource, typically caused by us

2.nounB2
Definition

a noticeable reduction in an amount, supply, or resource, typically caused by using or consuming some of it

Example

Buying new furniture made a noticeable dent in Gabriela's savings account.

pattern: make a dent in [resource]

The charity walk only put a small dent in the funds for the new hospital.

Common collocations
  • make a dent in
  • put a dent in
  • big dent
  • noticeable dent
  • hardly a dent
Synonyms
  • reduction

    neutral and direct, no idiomatic frame needed

  • cut

    more intentional, often planned rather than accidental

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

make a dent in [resource]

put a dent in [resource]

a dent in [amount]

Usage Note

This sense is almost always used in the phrases 'make a dent in' or 'put a dent in'. It frequently appears in negative contexts ('not make a dent') to suggest that efforts were insufficient.

Common Mistakes

We dented the savings account.' (using verb sense 2 incorrectly)
We put a dent in the savings account.
figurative reduction uses noun phrase 'make/put a dent in', not the verb directly.

3. a short written form of the words 'dental', 'dentist', or 'dentistry', used in m

3.noun
Definition

a short written form of the words 'dental', 'dentist', or 'dentistry', used in medical notes, labels, and appointment records

Example

The clinic door had a small sign that read 'Dent. Surg.' — short for Dental Surgery.

abbreviation on signage

On the referral form, the GP wrote 'dent. exam needed' to request a dental check-up.

Common collocations
  • Dent. Surg.
  • dent. appt.
  • dent. exam
  • Dent. Med.

Grammar Patterns

used in writing, not speech

Usage Note

This abbreviation appears mainly in written medical records, prescription pads, and professional directories. It is not used in spoken English. The period after 'dent' is standard in formal writing.

4. a word element originating from Latin that means 'tooth' or 'teeth', used in med

4.nounC1
Definition

a word element originating from Latin that means 'tooth' or 'teeth', used in medical and biological terminology

Example

The word 'dentist' comes from the combining form 'dent-' which means tooth.

combining form in common words

In biology class, Sahil studied the dentition patterns of different mammal species.

dentition (derived term)

Common collocations
  • dent- + ist (dentist)
  • dent- + al (dental)
  • dent- + ition (dentition)

Grammar Patterns

used as a prefix or root in compound words

Usage Note

The combining form appears in many English words: dentist, dental, denture, dentine, dentition, and trident (three-toothed). It is not a standalone word — it must attach to another word element.

dent — verb

dent — idiom

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Dent, ding, indentation, and dimple all refer to marks pressed into a surface, but differ in cause, shape, and connotation. Dent is the most general term for a small, shallow hollow caused by a blow or pressure, typically accidental and unwanted — for example, a dent in a car door after a collision. Ding is informal and narrower, used mainly for tiny marks on vehicles or metal objects, such as a ding on a bicycle frame from a pebble. Indentation is more formal and broader, describing any inward curve created by pressure or design — including an indentation at the start of a paragraph. Dimple refers to a small, natural, or attractive depression, especially in soft surfaces like skin or fabric, as in a dimple in a baby's cheek. While dent and ding suggest damage, dimple carries a positive connotation, and indentation is purely descriptive without judgment.

dent ↗dingindentationdimple

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • badly dented
  • slightly dented

Phrases

  • make a dent in
  • put a dent in

Prepositions

  • dent in
  • dent on

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'dent' comes from Middle English 'dent' and 'dint', tracing back to Old English 'dynt', which meant 'a blow struck with a weapon'. It is related to Old Norse 'dyntr' (a blow) and shares ancient Indo-European roots with Sanskrit 'dant-' (tooth) — the same root that gives us the combining form 'dent-' meaning tooth. The literal sense of a mark left by a blow has been in use since around the 1300s. The figurative meaning — a harmful effect or reduction — emerged in the early 1900s, extending the image of physical damage to abstract quantities.