
dent
词源
源自中古英语 'dint'(打击的痕迹),与古英语 'dynt'(打击)同源,最终可追溯至原始日耳曼语词根*duntiz。
noun
❶ 物体表面因外力撞击或挤压而形成的凹陷痕迹,通常指金属、塑料等硬质材料上的小坑。
“There's a small dent in the car door from the parking lot incident.”
(停车场事故导致车门上有个小凹痕。)
“He tried to hammer out the dent in the metal bucket.”
(他试图用锤子敲平金属桶上的凹陷。)
❶ 比喻对信心、声誉或财务状况等抽象事物造成的负面影响或削弱。
“The scandal put a dent in the politician's reputation.”
(丑闻给这位政治家的声誉造成了损害。)
“Medical bills made a big dent in their savings.”
(医疗费用大大消耗了他们的积蓄。)
verb
❶ 使物体表面产生凹陷或压痕,通常指因碰撞或压力导致的物理变形。
“The falling branch dented the hood of the parked car.”
(掉落的树枝砸凹了停着车的引擎盖。)
“Be careful not to dent the cans when stacking them.”
(堆叠罐头时注意别压出凹痕。)
❶ 对抽象事物(如信心、计划等)产生消极影响或削弱效果。
“The bad review dented the restaurant's popularity.”
(差评影响了这家餐厅的人气。)
“Rising prices are denting consumers' purchasing power.”
(物价上涨削弱了消费者的购买力。)
常见短语
make a dent in — 字面指造成物理凹陷,比喻显著减少某物数量或实质性推进某项工作。
“We've made a dent in the pile of paperwork after working all weekend.”
(经过整个周末的工作,我们处理掉了大量文书工作。)
dent resistance — 材料学术语,描述材料抵抗外力形成凹陷的能力,常用于评估金属或塑料产品的质量。
“This new alloy shows improved dent resistance compared to traditional steel.”
(与传统钢材相比,这种新型合金具有更好的抗凹陷性能。)