dent
英 [dent] 美 [dent]
n.凹痕；心理阴影；挫伤 vt.弄凹 vi.形成凹陷
◉Etymology
“dent”一词源自中古英语“dent”，意为“打击”或“凹痕”，可追溯到古英语“dynt”（打击、敲击）。它与古诺尔斯语（Old Norse）的“dyttr”（打击）有关，最终来源于原始日耳曼语（Proto-Germanic）的“*duntiz”。这个词最初描述物理上的打击或痕迹，后来扩展为“凹痕”或比喻意义上的“削弱、影响”。在现代英语中，“dent”既可作名词（凹痕、削弱），也可作动词（使凹陷、削弱）。
◉外刊例句
① The Economist, March 25, 2023
The economic downturn has put a significant dent in consumer spending.
经济衰退对消费者支出造成了显著的影响。
② The New York Times, July 14, 2024
The recall of defective products dented the company’s profits last quarter.
召回有缺陷的产品使公司上季度的利润受损。
③ The Guardian, November 10, 2022
A few scratches and dents on the old car didn’t bother her.
旧车上的几处划痕和凹痕并没有让她困扰。
◉经典名著
① 《Moby-Dick》by Herman Melville (1851)
The whale’s massive tail struck the boat, leaving a deep dent in the wood.
鲸鱼巨大的尾巴击中了船，在木头上留下了一个深深的凹痕。
② 《The Great Gatsby》by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925)
The failure of his dreams had dented his optimism, though he still smiled.
梦想的失败削弱了他的乐观精神，尽管他仍在微笑。
◉Usage Examples
(1) The front of the car has a dent in it.
(2) I'd like an estimate for repairing this dent.
(1) 小汽车的前面有一个凹痕。
(2) 我想估计一下修这凹痕要多不少钱？
◉Usage Notes
A dent is a gouge or hollow that's left in a surface after some kind of blow. If you hit a soup pot with a hammer, it will leave a dent.
Car accidents, whether they're serious or just fender benders, often result in dents. If you fall off your bike, you may get a dent in your helmet, and a mishandled package might be delivered to your door full of dents. There's also a figurative kind of dent, a reduction in amount: "You barely made a dent in that oatmeal — aren't you hungry?" Dent comes from Middle English, originally a variation on dint, "a blow dealt in fighting."
◉Colins
1[VERB 动词]使凹陷；使产生凹痕 If you dent the surface of something, you make a hollow area in it by hitting or pressing it. [V n]
A great chunk of loose kerbing smashed into my left-front wheel, bursting the tyre and denting the rim...
我车子的左前轮撞在一大块松动的路缘石上，导致车胎爆裂、轮辋凹陷。
Its brass feet dented the carpet's thick pile.
其黄铜支脚把厚绒地毯压出了印。
dented
Watch out for bargains, but never buy dented cans.
留意便宜货，但绝不要买表面凹陷的罐头。
2[N-COUNT 可数名词]凹痕；凹坑 A dent is a hollow in the surface of something which has been caused by hitting or pressing it
There was a dent in the car which hadn't been there before.
车上出现了一处以前没有的凹痕。
3[VERB 动词]削减；削弱；损害 If something dents your ideas or your pride, it makes you realize that your ideas are wrong, or that you are not as good or successful as you thought. [V n]
This has not dented the City's enthusiasm for the company.
这并没有减弱伦敦金融界对这个公司的热情。
After a while that sort of thing dents your confidence.
那种事情过上一段时间就会挫伤信心。
4[N-COUNT 可数名词]削减；削弱 If one thing makes a dent in another, it reduces it by a large amount. [usu N in n]
The commission had barely begun to make a dent in the problem...
委员会几乎还没有在这个问题上取得任何进展。
I hated to put any dents in his enthusiasm, but I was trying to be realistic.
我不想打击他的热情，只是试图现实一些。