1dent 
/ˈdɛnt/ noun
plural dents /ˈdɛnt/ noun [count] : an area on a surface that is lower than the rest of the surface especially because of being hit or pushed in
▪ The accident left/made a small dent in the car's fender. ▪ a few small dents in the wall
▪ The accident left/made a small dent in the car's fender. ▪ a few small dents in the wall
make/put a dent
◊In figurative use, to make a dent (in something) or to put a dent in something is to decrease something slightly or to make it somewhat weaker.
▪ We tried our best to fix the problem, but nothing we did seems to have made a dent. [=nothing we did has had any effect] ▪ It's going to take more than a new law to make a dent in the city's drug crime. [=a new law is not enough to decrease the city's drug crime] ▪ The $10,000 payment hardly makes a dent in the amount the company owes. ▪ a vacation that won't put too big a dent in your wallet [=a vacation that will not cost a lot of money]
▪ We tried our best to fix the problem, but nothing we did seems to have made a dent. [=nothing we did has had any effect] ▪ It's going to take more than a new law to make a dent in the city's drug crime. [=a new law is not enough to decrease the city's drug crime] ▪ The $10,000 payment hardly makes a dent in the amount the company owes. ▪ a vacation that won't put too big a dent in your wallet [=a vacation that will not cost a lot of money]
