stint
1 Americanverb (used without object)
-
to be frugal; get along on a scanty allowance.
Don't stint on the food.
They stinted for years in order to save money.
-
Archaic. to cease action; desist.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a period of time spent doing something.
a two-year stint in the army.
-
an allotted amount or piece of work.
to do one's daily stint.
-
limitation or restriction, especially as to amount.
to give without stint.
- Synonyms:
- tour of duty, tour, term, shift
-
a limited, prescribed, or expected quantity, share, rate, etc..
to exceed one's stint.
-
Obsolete. a pause; halt.
noun
verb
-
to be frugal or miserly towards (someone) with (something)
-
archaic to stop or check (something)
noun
-
an allotted or fixed amount of work
-
a limitation or check
-
obsolete a pause or stoppage
noun
Other Word Forms
- stintedly adverb
- stintedness noun
- stinter noun
- stintingly adverb
- stintless adjective
- unstinted adjective
- unstinting adjective
- unstintingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of stint1
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English verb stinten, stenten “to cease,” Old English styntan “to make blunt, dull”; cognate with Old Norse stytta “to shorten” ( stunt 1 ); noun derivative of the verb
Origin of stint2
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English; stynte, stint; further origin unknown
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He served a stint in the military before attending Babson College and working as a trader and a consultant in digital infrastructure.
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has moved to Australia after a stint in the United States, national broadcaster RNZ said, joining record numbers of her compatriots moving across the Tasman.
From Barron's
Instead, a stint at Boston Consulting Group led to a strategy and business-development role at lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret.
That short stint was immediately derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic and a surprise Amazon acquisition, but their impressive taste made Hollywood take notice.
From Los Angeles Times
A stint in a high school production of “All My Sons” made him want to pursue a career in acting.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
