Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The act of indenting.
  • noun The condition of being indented.
  • noun The blank space between a margin and the beginning of an indented line.
  • noun Archaic An indentation or dent.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A dent or denting in; an impressed hollow; a slight depression.
  • noun In type-setting and writing, an indenting or sinking inward by a blank space, as of the beginning of a line beyond that of adjoining lines; hence, any determinate space left before the beginning, or exceptionally after the end, of lines, whether alternating or equal throughout, as in poetry, etc.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Print.) Same as indentation, 4.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The act of indenting a line of text by including blank space at the beginning

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the space left between the margin and the start of an indented line

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word indention.

Examples

  • When people leave books face down on the table, it breaks the spines so bad ... and then if you fold down the pages it leaves a little indention in the book.

    Angels' Blood Countdown: Nancy Haddock - La Vida Vampire Nalini Singh 2009

  • In the aftermath, there was a perfectly concave indention in the marble floor where Atomahawk had knelt.

    Masked Lou Anders 2010

  • Unwrap the butter and cut the butter on the small indention.

    2008 January archive at 2008

  • Count on the outside of the wrapper until you reach the appropriate line, take a knife and gently press on that line, making an indention, but do not pierce through the wrapper just make it so when you take off the wrapper you will see the line.

    And so I begin… at 2008

  • Count on the outside of the wrapper until you reach the appropriate line, take a knife and gently press on that line, making an indention, but do not pierce through the wrapper just make it so when you take off the wrapper you will see the line.

    2008 January archive at 2008

  • The lieutenant drew his thumbnail back and forth on the letter in front of him and left a deep indention on the edge.

    The Convict and Other Stories James Lee Burke 2010

  • It was made of cheap wood, painted white, and there was an indention in the center of it the size of a fist.

    Two Months Before, Two Months After 2010

  • In the aftermath, there was a perfectly concave indention in the marble floor where Atomahawk had knelt.

    Masked Lou Anders 2010

  •  The fabric flowed over the indention of her obliques and curve of her hips.

    Faces 2010

  • Unwrap the butter and cut the butter on the small indention.

    And so I begin… at 2008

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.