Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

indent

/ˈɪndɛnt/ noun

Latin root: dēns Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about indent at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A cut or notch in the margin of anything, or a recess like a notch.
A stamp; an impression.
A certificate, or intended certificate, issued by the government of the United States at the close of the Revolution, for the principal or interest of the public debt.

verb

To notch; to jag; to cut into points like a row of teeth
to indent the edge of paper
To be cut, notched, or dented.
To dent; to stamp or to press in; to impress
indent a smooth surface with a hammer

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word