Link Centre Dictionary

indent

in·dent

UK/ɪnˈdɛnt/ US/ɪnˈdɛnt/ uncommon obsolete
noun (2) verb (5)

noun

1.

an order for goods to be exported or imported

2.

verb

1.

set in from the margin

  • “Indent the paragraphs of a letter”
2.

cut or tear along an irregular line so that the parts can later be matched for authentication

  • “indent the documents”
3.

make a depression into

  • “The bicycle dented my car”
Synonyms
4.

notch the edge of or make jagged

5.

bind by or as if by indentures, as of an apprentice or servant

  • “an indentured servant”
Synonyms

Origin

Partly from Middle English indenten (“to dent in”), equivalent to in- + dent (see dent); partly from Middle English indenten, endenten, from Old French endenter (“to cut notches into”), from en- (“in-, en-”) + dent (“tooth”), from Latin dēns.

Phrases

  • hanging indent

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

Entails

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.