stint

¹

[ stint ]

verb (used without object)

1. to be frugal; get along on a scanty allowance:

   Don't stint on the food.

   They stinted for years in order to save money.

2. Archaic. to cease action; desist.

verb (used with object)

1. to limit to a certain amount, number, share, or allowance, often unduly; set limits to; restrict.

   Synonyms: skimp, scrimp, economize

2. Archaic. to bring to an end; check.

noun

1. a period of time spent doing something:

   a two-year stint in the army.

2. an allotted amount or piece of work:

   to do one's daily stint.

3. limitation or restriction, especially as to amount:

   to give without stint.

   Synonyms: tour of duty, tour, term, shift

4. a limited, prescribed, or expected quantity, share, rate, etc.:

   to exceed one's stint.

   Synonyms: portion, allotment

5. Obsolete. a pause; halt.

stint

²

[ stint ]

noun

1. any of various small sandpipers of the genus Calidris, as the least sandpiper.

stint

¹

/ stɪnt /

verb

1. to be frugal or miserly towards (someone) with (something)
2. archaic.
   to stop or check (something)

noun

1. an allotted or fixed amount of work
2. a limitation or check
3. obsolete.
   a pause or stoppage

stint

²

/ stɪnt /

noun

1. any of various small sandpipers of the chiefly northern genus Calidris (or Erolia ), such as C. minuta ( little stint )

Derived Forms

• ˈstinter, noun

Other Words From

• stinted·ly adverb
• stinted·ness noun
• stinter noun
• stinting·ly adverb
• stintless adjective
• un·stinted adjective
• un·stinting adjective
• un·stinting·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of stint¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English verb stinten, stenten “to cease,” Old English styntan “to make blunt, dull”; cognate with Old Norse stytta “to shorten” ( stunt ¹ ); noun derivative of the verb

Origin of stint²

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English; stynte, stint; further origin unknown

Word History and Origins

Origin of stint¹

Old English styntan to blunt; related to Old Norse stytta to cut short; see stunt ¹

Origin of stint²

Old English; related to Middle High German stinz small salmon, Swedish dialect stinta teenager; see stunt ¹

Example Sentences

Two of these deals seemed set to benefit Energy Transfer, the Texas company on whose board Perry served immediately before and after his stint in Washington.

From ProPublica

I learned about Butora during a brief stint managing the retail shop of a climbing gym in Colorado in 2016.

From Outside Online

The country had been known for its frequent prime ministerial turnover, but Abe has been in power since 2012 — following a short stint from 2006 to 2007.

From Axios

She’d done an earlier stint with the city, but most recently, she was director of New York University’s Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy.

From Freakonomics

Because if you’re a human being and your stint is going to end in two or three years, you don’t want to be too harsh on the companies that could end up paying you and giving you lots of money later.

From Freakonomics

After a stint with a replacement Head Mistress went sour, R seriously considered shutting down La Domaine for good.

From The Daily Beast

Alan Gross was in a cheery mood, having survived a grim five-year stint in a Cuban prison.

From The Daily Beast

He said he prefers to forget about his 18-month stint with the Railroad Commission.

From The Daily Beast

After a brief stint under house arrest, Al-Thani was back on the art scene within a year, this time only as a private collector.

From The Daily Beast

In 2010, President Obama then brought her back for a second stint.

From The Daily Beast

For days after his departure, she had kept solitary; busied with little; indulging in her own sad reflections without stint.

From Project Gutenberg

No small stint I had of it too; for he was peevish and touchy as a young badger.

From Project Gutenberg

All day without stint and all night long with the sweep of the hissing drift.

From Project Gutenberg

In a country where money was all-powerful the power of money was used without stint and without scruple.

From Project Gutenberg

I didn't stint myself; but a single glass makes one bad enough, so half a bottle was saved every day.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• scrimp