Indent Meaning
/ˈɪndɛnt/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA cut or notch in the margin of anything, or a recess like a notch.
nounA stamp; an impression.
Sentence Examples
Remember to indent the first line of every paragraph.
There was a small indent on the surface of the table.
You should indent the first line of every paragraph.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The carpenter used a chisel to ____ the wood along the straight marked line.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
You should ____ the first line of every new paragraph in your formal essay for school.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"And is this now the Person who is to oblige his Maker? to indent and drive bargains with the Almighty?"
— 1698, Robert South, Twelve Sermons upon Several Subjects and Occasions, London: Thomas Bennet, page 28:
"Seeing Orlando, it vnlink'd it selfe,
And with indented glides, did slip away"
— c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The carpenter used a chisel to ____ the wood along the straight marked line.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
You should ____ the first line of every new paragraph in your formal essay for school.