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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dent
CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
But those shuttered hospices barely represent a dent in the massive hospice home healthcare industry.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Kaya Genç, The Dial, 3 Feb. 2026
If a can is bulging, swollen, rusted or badly dented, throw it out.
—Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dent
Noun
Not even four measles outbreaks since 2011 made a dent in the trend.
—CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
But those shuttered hospices barely represent a dent in the massive hospice home healthcare industry.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Verb
The main opposition party there, the CHP, was managing to dent Erdoğan’s popularity by triumphing in successive local elections.
—Kaya Genç, The Dial, 3 Feb. 2026
If a can is bulging, swollen, rusted or badly dented, throw it out.
—Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dent
Noun
-
Will the loss or diminishment of newspapers leave a hole in society?—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Oval holes in the walls once held lamps to light the street after dark.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Bass and her campaign team have sought to highlight a list of accomplishments, including a steady decrease in homicides, a drop in street homelessness and her efforts to accelerate the construction of affordable housing.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
This was a decrease from a 2023 assessment.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Both coffee and tea contain bioactive ingredients such as polyphenols and caffeine, which may reduce inflammation and cellular damage while defending against cognitive decline.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Snowmaking specialist TechnoAlpin, which is supplying this year’s Winter Olympics, said technology has advanced significantly over recent decades, reducing energy demand and water consumption.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Nick Hensley, our gas man, did a fantastic job getting us in position out of pit road.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
-
There are a few thoughtful features built into this fire pit.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Most executive conversations about AI focus on risk, regulation, or cost reduction.—
David Heacock,
Fortune,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Improvements like reduction in poverty and crime come when households are stable and not deprived of basic necessities.—
Mansoor Shams,
Baltimore Sun,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Underground cavities found on Venus Taking a fresh look at radar data collected by Magellan, a team of scientists were able to spot a large underground cavity on Venus created by lava flow.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Dim light will make the cavity’s dimensions impossible to read.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But gold prices have been extraordinary volatile, smashing through record highs before posting their biggest single-day drop on record last month.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Sharp drops hit Wall Street on Thursday as technology stocks fell and bitcoin plunged again to roughly half its record price set last fall.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Axios ran these numbers, and calculated the decline in wages as a share of gross domestic income adding up to $12,000; as in, that’s how much less per year the average American is bringing home as a result of this dynamic.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Pacific Islander students and American Indian students were the only two student groups out of 11 total who saw a decline in this metric in the same period.—
Lina Ruiz,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dent. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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