1. Home
2. Idioms
3. by dint of

by dint of

---

---

by dint of something

because of something; due to the efforts of something. (Dint is an old word meaning 'force,' and it is never used except in this phrase.) They got the building finished on time by dint of hard work and good organization. By dint of much studying, John got through college.

See also: of

by dint of something

as a result of or because of something By dint of hard work, I had risen to the position of district principal.

See also: of

by dint of

By means of, as in By dint of hard work he got his degree in three years. The word dint, which survives only in this expression, originally meant "a stroke or blow," and by the late 1500s signified the force behind such a blow. The current term preserves the implication of vigorous or persistent means.

See also: of