noun
-
by means or use of
by dint of hard work
-
archaic a blow or a mark made by a blow
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
- dintless adjective
Etymology
Origin of dint
before 900; Middle English; Old English dynt; cognate with Old Norse dyntr
Explanation
The word dint is used to indicate that something came about through a particular force or means. So if you make a lot of money, that’s probably by dint of hard work. Dint and dent sound an awful lot alike. The good news is that they are actually related. Dint comes from an Old English word meaning "a hit or strike," often with a sword, and dent later came about as a regional variation in pronunciation. By dint of time, however, dent has come to mean the banged-in place where something hit, and dint is only used in the expression "by dint of" to mean "through the means of."
Vocabulary lists containing dint
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Julius Caesar
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"The Pit and the Pendulum," Vocabulary from the short story
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Home Alone” certainly made Culkin a star, which was its intention, and O’Hara, by dint of John Hughes’ characterization, an able partner.
From Salon • Feb. 4, 2026
Simply by dint of their tablet-like heft, dictionaries make a claim for longevity and authority.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025
Others are here by dint of good old-fashioned storytelling, memorable characters and terrific performances — or just because they made me laugh.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2025
He can get them to do things by dint of their friendship—things that other presidents cannot.
From Slate • Jan. 20, 2025
I dint think pepul would laff at Prof Nemur because hes a sientist in a collidge but Bert said no sientist is a grate man to his colleegs and his gradulate studints.
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
