indent Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun an order for goods to be exported or imported
  2. noun the space left between the margin and the start of an indented line
    indention; indenture; indentation.
  3. verb set in from the margin
    • Indent the paragraphs of a letter
  4. verb cut or tear along an irregular line so that the parts can later be matched for authentication
    • indent the documents
  5. verb make a depression into
    dent.
    • The bicycle dented my car
  6. verb notch the edge of or make jagged
  7. verb bind by or as if by indentures, as of an apprentice or servant
    indenture.
    • an indentured servant

WordNet

In*dent" transitive verb
Etymology
OE. endenten to notch, fit in, OF. endenter, LL. indentare, fr. L. in + dens, dentis, tooth. See Tooth, and cf. Indenture.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Indented; present participle & verbal noun Indenting
Definitions
  1. To notch; to jag; to cut into points like a row of teeth; as, to indent the edge of paper.
  2. To dent; to stamp or to press in; to impress; as, indent a smooth surface with a hammer; to indent wax with a stamp.
  3. Cf. Indenture. To bind out by indenture or contract; to indenture; to apprentice; as, to indent a young man to a shoemaker; to indent a servant.
  4. (Print.) To begin (a line or lines) at a greater or less distance from the margin; as, to indent the first line of a paragraph one em; to indent the second paragraph two ems more than the first. See Indentation, and Indention.
  5. (Mil.) To make an order upon; to draw upon, as for military stores. India Wilhelm.
In*dent" intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To be cut, notched, or dented.
  2. To crook or turn; to wind in and out; to zigzag.
  3. To contract; to bargain or covenant. Shak.
    To indent and drive bargains with the Almighty. South.
In*dent" noun
Definitions
  1. A cut or notch in the man gin of anything, or a recess like a notch. Shak.
  2. A stamp; an impression. Obs.
  3. 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. D. Ramsay. A. Hamilton.
  4. (Mil.) A requisition or order for supplies, sent to the commissariat of an army. India Wilhelm.

Webster 1913