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 + inIt'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
President Trump's tariffs on three key U.S. trade partners, which are set to go into effect Tuesday, could drive up automobile costs for U.S. consumers by thousands of dollars and put a dent in U.S. car sales, industry analysts and U.S.-based automakers say.
—
Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2025
The war in Ukraine has put a large strain on the business, but Farm Fleet is beginning to make a dent in the US, which the company views as its biggest opportunity.
—Andrew Watman, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
To make a dent in the U.S.-Chinese trade imbalance, the withholding rate needs, at least, to revert to that specified in the Internal Revenue Code—30 percent.
—Alex Raskolnikov, Foreign Affairs, 19 Feb. 2025
The play has also put a dent in Barkley’s numbers — the 235-pound running back often takes the Eagles right up to the goal line, then sees the Tush Push called.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 7 Feb. 2025
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Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2025
The war in Ukraine has put a large strain on the business, but Farm Fleet is beginning to make a dent in the US, which the company views as its biggest opportunity.
—Andrew Watman, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
To make a dent in the U.S.-Chinese trade imbalance, the withholding rate needs, at least, to revert to that specified in the Internal Revenue Code—30 percent.
—Alex Raskolnikov, Foreign Affairs, 19 Feb. 2025
The play has also put a dent in Barkley’s numbers — the 235-pound running back often takes the Eagles right up to the goal line, then sees the Tush Push called.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for 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 13 Mar. 2025.
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