How to Use make/put a dent in a Sentence
make/put a dent
idiom-
This kind of thing did not, and cannot, make a dent in Trump.
— Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 13 May 2024 -
Sharp rings and finger nails couldn’t make a dent in these tights.
— L.a. Hubilla, People.com, 19 Dec. 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 his string of hits didn’t make a dent on the pop side during his lifetime.
— Kaitlyn Schwanemann, NBC News, 4 Oct. 2024 -
But even that will only begin to put a dent in the problem.
— Hank Beckman, chicagotribune.com, 9 July 2021 -
Friendly outings put a dent in your budget as the moon and Venus clash.
— USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2025 -
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 -
But this rift between the co-stars and co-producers could put a dent in plans.
— Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Dec. 2024 -
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 -
Even so, reforms have failed to make a dent in the state's production problems.
— Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025 -
Does your company have the ad budget to make a dent in the digital space this year?
— Yec, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2023 -
The tiny pots of cream-to-powder shadow last forever—I’ve used mine so much but have yet to put a dent in it.
— Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 4 Sep. 2024 -
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 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 -
The rain put a dent in precipitation deficits and helped to thwart fires raging in the mountains.
— Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2023 -
But even that amount, experts say, would only begin to make a dent in building a new Ukraine.
— David E. Sanger, New York Times, 12 June 2024 -
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 -
Saffold set a mid-to-late-January deadline to make a dent in that funding goal.
— La Risa R. Lynch, Journal Sentinel, 24 Dec. 2024 -
Such a program could make a dent in Sacramento’s rising death toll.
— Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 17 Mar. 2025 -
That trio combined for 34 of the Terps’ 38 points in the second half and had to be effective because their two fellow starters could barely make a dent on the scoreboard.
— Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 1 Mar. 2025
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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