基本释义

[noun] a slight hollow in a hard, even surface made by a blow or by the exertion of pressure
[名词] 通过击打或施加压力而在坚硬、平滑的表面上形成的轻微凹陷

深入解读

说起 dent 这个单词,除了与小站(微信公众号:田间小站)上个月推送的 bent 十分形似外,也很容易让人联想起之前推送过的 prudent, strident, dissident 等以 dent 结尾的单词来。

该词最早出现于14世纪初,方言变体自中古英语 dint, dunt (打斗中的击打),原本也是用来表示“打、击”。

等到了16世纪60年代后,明显是受到 indent (在……打出凹口)一词的影响, dent 开始发展出现在的基本含义指“凹痕、凹坑、凹部”,多指通过击打、撞击或施加压力而在坚硬、平滑的表面上形成的轻微凹陷,比如:

  • 车门上一大块凹陷
    a large dent in the car door

由此产生习语 make/put a dent in sth 引申指“减少、削减”某物,尤指资金像是车门凹陷那般被刮去了一块,比如:

  • 这次糟透的度假花去了我们很大一部分的存款。
    The appalling holiday made a big dent in our savings.

中文俗话说“抓铁有痕,踏石留印”,而这个概念在英语中也可用上面这个习语喻指“引起注意、产生印象”或“取得初步或有效的进展”,比如:

  • 他冗长乏味的演讲没有在我的头脑中留下什么印象。
    His long and pedestrian speech made no real dent in my mind.
  • 那个新手通宵夜战,但工作上几乎没有什么进展。
    The novice worked all night, but barely made a dent in the work.

值得一提的是,乔布斯有句名言也用到了这个习语:

We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here?

用作动词时, dent 除了相应表示“使凹陷、使产生凹痕”外,还被用来喻指“打击、损害、伤害、挫伤”信心、自尊心、名誉、自豪感等,多指外部事件或行动造成突然负面或削弱的作用,比如:

  • 这并没有减弱他对这个公司的热情。
    This has not dented his zeal for the company.

图书例句

Ron and Hermione sat themselves down opposite him looking happier than they had done since he had first arrived at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, and Harry’s feeling of giddy relief, which had been somewhat dented by his encounter with Lucius Malfoy, swelled again.
罗恩和赫敏坐在哈利对面,看上去比他刚到格里莫广场的那天还要高兴。哈利心头那份令他感到晕眩的如释重负的感觉,曾经因为与卢修斯马尔福狭路相逢而受到了一点影响,现在又重新在心里激荡起来。
出自英国作家J·K·罗琳的奇幻小说《哈利·波特》系列的第五本《哈利·波特与凤凰社》(Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)。

外刊例句

  • Most economists might hazard a guess that voiding the bulk of a country’s currency overnight would dent its immediate growth prospects.
    大多数经济学家可能都会大胆猜测,假如突然废除一个国家的大部分货币,将会损害其短期增长前景。
    ——《经济学人》
  • Unlike aluminum, carbon structures do not dent visibly and require special ultrasound probes to identify damaged areas, and there is a shortage of mechanics with the right training.
    和铝制飞机不同,碳结构不会产生明显的凹陷,需要特殊的超声波探测器来辨别受损区域,而目前正缺乏受过正规培训的机械师。
    ——《纽约时报》

常见短语

dent“(凹痕,划痕)是一个名词,通常用来指物体表面的小凹陷或划痕。以下是一些包含单词 “dent” 的短语,附带中文解释:

  1. Small dent(小凹痕)
  2. Car dent(汽车凹痕)
  3. dent repair(凹痕修复)
  4. dent removal(去凹痕)
  5. dent damage(凹痕损坏)
  6. dent on the door(门上的凹痕)
  7. dent and scratch(凹痕和划痕)
  8. dent prevention(凹痕预防)
  9. dent restoration(凹痕恢复)
  10. dent repair kit(凹痕修复工具)
  11. dent-resistant material(防凹材料)
  12. dent in the fender(翼子板上的凹痕)
  13. dent removal service(凹痕去除服务)
  14. dent inspection(凹痕检查)
  15. Paintless dent repair(无漆凹痕修复)
  16. dent and ding repair(凹痕和碰撞修复)
  17. dent protection measures(凹痕保护措施)
  18. Major dent repair(大凹痕修复)
  19. Minor dent repair(小凹痕修复)
  20. dent on the bumper(保险杠上的凹痕)
  21. dent removal cost(去凹痕费用)
  22. dent size(凹痕大小)
  23. dent depth(凹痕深度)
  24. dent severity(凹痕严重程度)
  25. dent location(凹痕位置)
  26. dent on the hood(引擎盖上的凹痕)
  27. dent estimation(凹痕估算)
  28. dent assessment(凹痕评估)
  29. dent repair process(凹痕修复过程)
  30. dent on the roof(车顶上的凹痕)
  31. dent and paint repair(凹痕和油漆修复)
  32. dent filler(凹痕填充剂)
  33. dent and scratch coverage(凹痕和划痕保险)
  34. dent and ding prevention(凹痕和碰撞预防)
  35. dent and scratch warranty(凹痕和划痕保修)
  36. dent repair technique(凹痕修复技术)
  37. dent on the trunk(后备箱上的凹痕)
  38. dent removal process(凹痕去除过程)
  39. dent assessment report(凹痕评估报告)
  40. dent and ding coverage(凹痕和碰撞保险)
  41. dent prevention tips(凹痕预防小贴士)
  42. dent repair cost(凹痕修复费用)
  43. dent and scratch repair service(凹痕和划痕修复服务)
  44. dent removal tool(凹痕去除工具)
  45. dent and ding repair shop(凹痕和碰撞修复店)
  46. dent repair process(凹痕修复过程)
  47. dent on the side panel(侧板上的凹痕)
  48. dent and scratch insurance(凹痕和划痕保险)
  49. dent repair expert(凹痕修复专家)
  50. dent and ding repair estimate(凹痕和碰撞修复估算)

同近义词

indentation: a deep recess or notch on the edge or surface of something
dint: an impression or hollow in a surface
dimple: a slight depression in the surface of something

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