How to Use make/put a dent in a Sentence

make/put a dent

idiom
Definition of make/put a dentnext
  • This kind of thing did not, and cannot, make a dent in Trump.
    — Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 13 May 2024
  • One or two might make a dent in the numbers at the first debate this week.
    — Trip Gabriel, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2023
  • But even that will only begin to put a dent in the problem.
    — Hank Beckman, chicagotribune.com, 9 July 2021
  • As drastic as that sounds, even that will barely make a dent.
    — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 22 June 2024
  • But curb shoppers don’t make a dent in what’s left behind.
    — Sonja Stott, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2023
  • My first solution was get a thin piece of brass and make a dent in it with a center punch.
    — IEEE Spectrum, 27 Aug. 2023
  • None of which is to say drive-ins can even make a dent in what Hollywood has lost in revenue.
    — Angela Watercutter, Wired, 30 June 2020
  • But the chaos put a dent in their plans for training and recovery ahead of Wednesday’s game.
    — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 5 May 2024
  • Those eight years in Israel didn’t seem to make a dent in his insatiable need for the spotlight.
    — Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 May 2023
  • Does your company have the ad budget to make a dent in the digital space this year?
    — Yec, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2023
  • The Blazers played better in the second quarter but not enough to make a dent into their deficit.
    — oregonlive, 3 Feb. 2023
  • Patubo said last year’s unprecedented storms in the area put a dent in business.
    — Mae Anderson, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024
  • The second half was even, but the Sea Lions (18-13) couldn’t make a dent in the advantage the Cougars had taken midway through the first half.
    — U-T Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2024
  • And with only 15 minutes of hands-on time, this dessert won't put a dent in your Thanksgiving prep.
    — Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 16 Oct. 2023
  • The pastor doubted that approach on its own would make a dent in the country’s daily death toll.
    — Danielle Paquette, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024
  • The rain put a dent in precipitation deficits and helped to thwart fires raging in the mountains.
    — Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2023
  • Live streaming is not the answer and will not even make a dent in a venue's monthly expenses.
    — Dave Brooks, Billboard, 19 Aug. 2020
  • Maybe make a dent in our list of 50 classic books everyone should read in their lifetime.
    — Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 26 July 2023
  • But objections over Gaza do not appear to have put a dent in the president's war chest thus far.
    — USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
  • Second trimester calmed down a bit, but Zika put a dent in any glamorous babymoon plans.
    — Nina F. Ichikawa, Vogue, 1 Sep. 2023
  • Interstate 75 to the west and 95 to the east were far from Santa Claus and put a dent in the town's plan to become an easy-access tourist attraction.
    — Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 30 Oct. 2023
  • If Pinterest wants to make a dent in the fiercely competitive e-commerce space, Bill Ready's the man to lead the charge.
    — Q.ai - Powering A Personal Wealth Movement, Forbes, 30 June 2022
  • Caveats Lowered inflation rates don’t make a dent in what consumers pay now.
    — Jonathan Lansner, Orange County Register, 13 Feb. 2024
  • The steep selloff has put a dent in former President Donald Trump’s net worth.
    — Matt Egan, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
  • Why have landmark agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris accord failed to make a dent in emission trends?
    — William Nordhaus, Foreign Affairs, 10 Apr. 2020
  • Yet they are not yet proven at anywhere near the scale needed to make a dent in atmospheric carbon.
    — WIRED, 20 Mar. 2023
  • With just five ingredients, these quick and easy pasta recipes won't put a dent in your free time or wallet.
    — Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 3 Oct. 2023
  • Donors looking to make a dent in the homelessness problem should first focus on talent.
    — Stephen Eide, National Review, 27 Nov. 2023
  • But Nikou’s better judgment got the best of him, and when Blanchett did indeed turn up for their breakfast tête-à-tête, the two hardly put a dent in their croissants.
    — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 9 Sep. 2023
  • The cold wave is expected to make a dent in storage surpluses, which were 13% above the five-year average at the end of December.
    — WSJ, 10 Jan. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'make/put a dent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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