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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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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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
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 11 Oct. 2024
Overall, Delta said the incident resulted in a 45-cent dent to earnings per share, which came in at $1.50, down 26% from the same quarter last year.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2024
Samuel Burke, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2024
An increasingly challenging Greater China region and a soft wholesale channel at Thom Browne dented the group’s revenues in the third quarter and impacted its performance in the nine months, but the executive is thinking long-term.
—Luisa Zargani, WWD, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dent 
Noun
While the cable news screaming heads have significantly boosted their Sunday ratings since the season kicked off a month ago, the lift in deliveries at Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, et al hasn’t put a dent in the NFL’s numbers.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 11 Oct. 2024
Overall, Delta said the incident resulted in a 45-cent dent to earnings per share, which came in at $1.50, down 26% from the same quarter last year.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2024
Verb
Value meals helped turn around McDonald’s U.S. sales in the third quarter with customers smarting from higher prices all over, but that recovery could be dented in the final months of the year by an E. coli outbreak tied to the company’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers.
—Samuel Burke, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2024
An increasingly challenging Greater China region and a soft wholesale channel at Thom Browne dented the group’s revenues in the third quarter and impacted its performance in the nine months, but the executive is thinking long-term.
—Luisa Zargani, WWD, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dent
Noun
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The company completed 18 drill holes at MacArthur and four core drill holes at Yerington.Quartz Bot, Quartz, 14 Nov. 2024
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At the bottom was a chain-link fence with an enormous hole.Blake Nelson, The Mercury News, 11 Nov. 2024
Noun
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This decrease is attributed to a reduction in transactions at existing centers.Quartz Bot, Quartz, 15 Nov. 2024
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By 2050, Tanzania may experience significant drought and more intense flooding, which could lead to a widespread decrease in agriculture and a lowering of the gross domestic product by up to 18 percent.New York Times, New York Times, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
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While noting that many Arizona cities have drastically reduced their per capita water demand, Goddard argued that cities will eventually need to find water-sharing arrangements with farms so that cities can pay farmers to use their water in dry times.Austin Corona, The Arizona Republic, 22 Nov. 2024
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Some items that normally retail for upwards of $500 have been reduced to $99 or less.John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 21 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The city also received grants from the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta Conservancy to redevelop Central Harbor Park with features such as fire pits and a new police substation.Hema Sivanandam, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
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Here, the lush grounds are decked out with a fire pit, a heated plunge pool adorned with Zellige tile, and a Sonos surround sound system.Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Gauthier, who was mayor during most of the period in which the city achieved its historic drop in violent crime, believes East Palo Alto’s collaborative approach to crime reduction could be scaled up district-wide.Ryan Macasero, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024
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Driving the news: The Fed is poised to cut interest rates by a quarter-point this week, following its half-point rate reduction in September.Axios, Axios, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Here's what may come: Drinking Water Kennedy has vowed to immediately remove fluoride from drinking water, a major reversal in a decades-long practices that has been praised for drastically reducing cavities and strengthening teeth.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
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Stuff yellow onion quarters and 4 thyme sprigs in turkey cavity.Nicole Hopper, Southern Living, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The cart drop came just as Chesterfield — the area's largest county — dropped out of the regional recycling collective altogether.Karri Peifer, Axios, 20 Nov. 2024
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It was later clarified that the traditional coin toss took place before the ball drop.Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 20 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Through September this year, Ford's sales in Europe fell 17.9%, far outstripping an industrywide decline of 6.1%.Nick Carey, Detroit Free Press, 21 Nov. 2024
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AbbVie’s revenue decline can be attributed to the loss of market exclusivity for its top-selling drug – Humira.Trefis Team, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Dent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dent. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
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