Indent meaning

ĭn-dĕnt
indented indenting indents
See word origin
Frequency:
To indent is defined as to start a line of text further in on the page than the other text around or below it.

When you press the "Tab" button in a word processing program so the first line of your text starts further inward than the second, this is an example of indent.

verb
24
6
To set (the first line of a paragraph, for example) in from the margin.
verb
15
7
The definition of an indent is a space that is left when a block of text has been spaced inward further than surrounding text.

A space left when you "tab" to move text inward in a word processing program is an example of an indent.

noun
10
6
To write out (a contract, etc.) in duplicate.
verb
8
6
To draw up or order an indent.
verb
5
5
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To place (the first line of a paragraph, an entire paragraph, a column of figures, etc.) some number of spaces away from the regular margin.
verb
4
1
To create a starting point some number of spaces away from the margin; make an indentation.
verb
4
1
An indentation.
noun
3
1
To order by an indent)
verb
2
1
To bind (a servant or apprentice) by indenture.
verb
2
3
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A dent, or indentation.
noun
1
0
A stamp; an impression.
noun
1
0
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.
noun
1
0
A requisition or order for supplies, sent to the commissariat of an army.
noun
1
0
(intransitive) To be cut, notched, or dented.
verb
1
0
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To dent; to stamp or to press in; to impress; as, indent a smooth surface with a hammer; to indent wax with a stamp.
verb
1
0
(historical) To cut the two halves of a document in duplicate, using a jagged or wavy line so that each party could demonstrate that their copy was part of the original whole.
verb
1
0
(typography) To begin (a line or lines) at a greater or lesser 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. Normal indent pushes in a line or paragraph. "hanging indent" pulls the line out into the margin.
verb
1
0
(military, India, dated) To make an order upon; to draw upon, as for military stores.

verb
1
0
The act of indenting or the condition of being indented.
noun
1
1
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A US certificate issued at the close of the American Revolution for interest due on the public debt.
noun
1
1
An official requisition or purchase order for goods.
noun
1
1
To impress (a design, for example); stamp.
verb
1
1
To draw up an order or requisition in duplicate or triplicate.
verb
1
1
A notch or cut in an edge.
noun
1
1
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An indenture, or written contract.
noun
1
1
To make a dent, or slight hollow, in.
verb
1
1
To apply (a mark, etc.) with pressure; impress; stamp in.
verb
1
1
To align text some number of spaces to the right of the left margin. See hanging paragraph.
1
1
A cut or notch in the margin of anything, or a recess like a notch.
noun
1
1
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To notch; to jag; to cut into points like a row of teeth; as, to indent the edge of paper.
verb
1
1
South.

To indent and drive bargains with the Almighty.

verb
1
1
To order (goods) by purchase order or official requisition.
verb
0
0
To make or form an indentation.
verb
0
0
To sever (a written contract, etc.) along an irregular line, so that the parts may be identified.
verb
0
0
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An order form used in foreign trade and usually drawn up in duplicate or triplicate.
  • Any order for foreign merchandise.
  • An export order to buy certain goods at stated terms.
noun
0
0
A blank space before the beginning of an indented line.

A two-pica indent.

noun
0
1
An indenture.
noun
0
1

Origin of indent

  • Middle English endenten to notch from Anglo-Norman Old French endenter both from Medieval Latin indentāre Latin in- in in–2 Latin dēns dent- tooth dent- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Old French endenter, from Latin indentare

    From Wiktionary