dent

dent up

To cause dents or dimples in something. I can't believe how much that runaway shopping cart dented up my car!
See also: dent, up

make a dent in (something)

To make noticeable progress in a task or to consume a noticeable amount of something of which there is a large quantity. I have a meeting in an hour, but before that I'm hoping to make a dent in this backlog of documents that need to be filed. I didn't think we had made enough potato salad for the party, but we barely made a dent in it—look how much we have left!
See also: dent, make
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

dent something up

to mar or make depressions in something. I don't want to dent my car up. It's still new. He dented up my new bike!
See also: dent, up

make a dent in something

 
1. Lit. to make a depression in something. I kicked the side of the car and made a dent in it. Please don't make a dent in the side of the house.
2. Fig. to use only a little of something; to make a small amount of progress with something. Look at what's left on your plate! You hardly made a dent in your dinner. I've been slaving all day, and I have hardly made a dent in my work.
See also: dent, make
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

make a dent in

Begin to accomplish or consume something, as in I've barely made a dent in this pile of correspondence, or Help us put a dent in this pie. This metaphoric expression alludes to striking a blow to make a physical indentation in something.
See also: dent, make
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

make a dent in something

COMMON If you make a dent in something, you reduce its amount or level. The savings from these cuts make only a small dent in the federal deficit. The average family in Britain spends £100 a week on food, which makes a big dent in the household budget. Note: You can also say that you put a dent in something. These devices can put a major dent in companies' IT budgets.
See also: dent, make, something
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

make a ˈdent/ˈhole in something

(informal) reduce something: Having to pay out unexpectedly for car repairs made a big hole in my savings. The embarrassing stories about his past made quite a dent in his reputation.
See also: dent, hole, make, something
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • dent up
  • bang into
  • make a dent in
  • make a dent in (something)
  • make a dent in something
  • make a dent/hole in something
  • set (someone, something, or oneself) apart (from someone or something)
  • set apart
  • set apart from
  • put (something) into sharp relief
References in periodicals archive
This is not the first time that Dent Coad has spoken about a member of the royal family.
Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip 'Should Move Out Of Buckingham Palace'
9 shows the distribution of PE in dent area along the axial direction.
Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis of the Limit State and Pressure of Dented X60 Steel Pipeline
Dent, Jr., Of God and Caesar: The Free Exercise Rights of Public School Students, 43 CASE W.
George W. Dent, Jr.: Engaged Scholar
The same approach can be used for evaluating the reinforcement of other anomalies and features such as dents, wrinkle bends, and planar defects.
A review of the state-of-the-art in composite repair technology
Dent raised his 50 from 89 deliveries before pressing down hard on the accelerator.
Donald trumped by Dent as hosts pile on the runs
Finally:"Police said Dent refused to put his hands behind his back.
Police Brutality
Dents differ in how they respond to the effect of moisture because of the endless possibility of different types of damage and the differences in how pores are closed shut by the damage.
The gunsmith as furniture repairman: gunsmiths are machinists and metalworkers also working with firearms, sort of like furniture composed of metal and wood
Mutations in the CLCN5 gene encoding the electrogenic chloride/proton exchanger CIC-5 participating in the receptor-mediated endocytosis in the proximal tubule are a causative factor for Dent's disease of type 1.
Dent's disease type 1 in a boy with severe hyperopia and mental dysfunction: a case report
In the late 1980s, Dent correctly forecast that the Japanese economy would enter a slowdown that would last more than a decade.
The Dow to crash?
Dent's opening entry went on to describe his trip to Kazakhstan as an opportunity to "learn about life, school, students, and teachers in that part of the world."
Teacher blogs from Kazakhstan in Teachers for Global Classrooms
Bridie Smurtwaite, prosecuting, said: "They both attended the school, with Mr Dent arriving in the queue behind the defendant.
He bit off love rival's finger at nativity play
Lee Wilkinson, 40, fought with Michael Dent at Harton Primary School in December 2011 during which he bit off the tip of Mr Dent's left little finger.
Jail term for man who bit off finger
They call teeth dent in France & the name makes sense the way teeth do what they do to bacon & shoulders & cakes.
Gold Smile
Have you seen those paintless dent repair tools advertised on TV?
DIY paintless dent repair