A shallow deformation in the surface of an object, produced by an impact.
"The worn dent on the edge of the old playing card made it difficult to shuffle evenly."
A tooth, as of a card, a gear wheel, etc.
In plain English: A dent is a small, flat area that gets pushed into something hard and smooth when it hits another object.
"The ball left a small dent in the side of my car door."
Usage: Use "dent" to describe any small depression or damage caused by pressure on a hard surface, such as a scratch in the paintwork from an accident. While it can refer to teeth on gears or cards, everyday usage almost always concerns physical indentations rather than mechanical components.
To impact something, producing a dent.
"The heavy ball impacted the metal wall, producing a deep dent in its surface."
In plain English: To dent something means to press it inward so that its surface becomes uneven and damaged.
"The heavy rain began to dent the roof of my car."
A village and civil parish in South Lakeland district, Cumbria, England (OS grid ref SD7086).
"Residents of Dent travel to Keswick on weekends while working in the nearby industrial park."
The word "dent" comes from Middle English and originally meant a blow or strike before taking on its current meaning, likely describing the mark left by such an impact. It shares roots with related words in other Germanic languages like Old Norse that also referred to blows or their effects.