Definitions

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

  • noun Force or effort; power.
  • noun A dent.
  • transitive verb To put a dent in.
  • transitive verb To impress or drive in forcibly.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To make a mark or depression on or in by a blow or stroke: now usually dent.
  • noun A blow; a stroke.
  • noun A mark made by a blow or by pressure on a surface: now dent.
  • noun Force; power: now chiefly in the phrase by dint of: as, by dint of argument.

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

  • noun obsolete A blow; a stroke.
  • noun The mark left by a blow; an indentation or impression made by violence; a dent.
  • noun Force; power; -- esp. in the phrase by dint of.
  • transitive verb To make a mark or cavity on or in, by a blow or by pressure; to dent.

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

  • noun obsolete A blow, stroke, especially dealt in a fight.
  • noun Force, power; especially in by dint of.
  • noun A dent.
  • verb To dent

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

  • noun interchangeable with `means' in the expression `by means of'

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English; see dent.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old English dynt.

Support

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

Examples

  • He scarce scrupled a penny after I gave him leave to try a sword dint upon it.

    The Fair Maid of Perth 2008

  • Such was his strength that none against whom he laid lance in rest could keep the saddle, and no shield was proof against his sword dint; but for his courtesy even more than for his courage and strength,

    Stories from Le Morte D'Arthur and the Mabinogion Beatrice Clay

  • Such was his strength that none against whom he had lain lance in rest could keep the saddle, and no shield was proof against his sword dint; but for his courtesy even more than for his courage and strength, Sir

    The Junior Classics — Volume 4 William Patten 1902

  • Such was his strength that none against whom he laid lance in rest could keep the saddle, and no shield was proof against his sword dint; but for his courtesy even more than for his courage and strength, Sir Launcelot was famed far and near.

    Heroes Every Child Should Know Hamilton Wright Mabie 1880

  • "Every true-born son or daughter of San Guido," she explained, "bears in the palm of the hand a little pit or dint, which is the survival in his descendants of the scar made by the thorn in the hand of San Guido himself.

    The Lady Paramount Henry Harland 1883

  • In reality, by dint of their sheer numbers, Latinos are reshaping the American Catholic Church, with every indication that their impact will only increase in years to come.

    American Grace Robert D. Putnam 2010

  • On the other hand, it would be gratifying to assume the disappearance indicates that those responsible for the current series have decided to acknowledge that though much separated the upper and lower classes in English society during the period covered, the classes by dint of living under the same roof were inevitably intertwined.

    David Finkle: First Nighter: Upstairs Downstairs Makes Sparkling PBS Return David Finkle 2011

  • On the other hand, it would be gratifying to assume the disappearance indicates that those responsible for the current series have decided to acknowledge that though much separated the upper and lower classes in English society during the period covered, the classes by dint of living under the same roof were inevitably intertwined.

    David Finkle: First Nighter: Upstairs Downstairs Makes Sparkling PBS Return David Finkle 2011

  • By dint of stubborn steadfast perseverance upon the endless mountainside of art I reached at last a lofty level.

    2009 May 08 | NIGEL BEALE NOTA BENE BOOKS 2009

  • More than three decades later, through dint of hard work and shrewd judgment, Mr. Blankfein is at the helm of Goldman Sachs, the most powerful bank on what's left of Wall Street—a position that has made him a wealthy man.

    Still Standing Mary Kissel 2011

Comments

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

  • From The First Nuclear Era (1994) by Alvin Weinberg:

    "I've always found physics to be difficult. I am not endowed with the ability to see immediately the essence of a physical phenomena. Yet by dint of hard work, I was able to complete my undergraduate physics examination at the top of my small class."

    January 27, 2023