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 Word Forms

• 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

Phillips earned the save for Oklahoma City on Wednesday, tossing a scoreless inning and appearing in a game for the second consecutive day for the first time in his rehab stint.

From Los Angeles Times

The 65-year-old has won 11 trophies in his second stint, including two league titles, two Champions Leagues and the Fifa Club World Cup.

From BBC

For much of his childhood — which included stints in Bolivia and in the northern Peruvian city of Piura, with his maternal grandparents — Vargas Llosa presumed his father to be dead.

From Los Angeles Times

That allowed Leclerc to run seven laps longer before his first stop, giving him a grip advantage in the second stint, and allowing the Ferrari to pass the McLaren at Turn Four on lap 25.

From BBC

He previously had two spells in charge of Bournemouth either side of a brief stint at Burnley, and has been talked of as a future England manager.

From BBC

Related Words

• scrimp