make a dent in
US /meɪk ə dɛnt ɪn/
UK /meɪk ə dɛnt ɪn/
1.
取得进展, 缓解
to reduce something, especially a problem or a large amount of work, but not solve it completely
:
•
We've been working all day, but we've barely made a dent in the pile of paperwork.
我们工作了一整天，但几乎没有在那堆文书工作中取得进展。
•
The extra funding will help make a dent in the city's homelessness problem.
额外的资金将有助于缓解城市的无家可归问题。