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.
Key Background Third-party candidates have almost no shot at winning the election, considering the funding and popularity required to make a dent in the electoral and popular vote. Stephen Pastis, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024 Controversy over recent racist comments by speakers at a Trump rally in New York City’s Madison Square Garden may have put a dent in the former president’s once-record levels of support among Latino voters. Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2024 Hood-Schifino, 21, has yet to make a dent in new Los Angeles head coach JJ Redick's rotation this season. Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024 In order to make a dent in the climate crisis, whoever becomes president would have to reject that status quo and put serious money behind global promises to mitigate climate change. Vox Staff, Vox, 24 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for make/put a dent 

Dictionary Entries Near 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 26 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!